Sheffield United have bluntly had to tell £10m signing Lys Mousset that he must ‘lose weight’ to play for them this season.
The 25 year old centre-forward was told by his employers after struggling to feature for the Championship outfit due to a number of things.
Not only is Mousset said to be overweight, but he also hasn’t been playing because of a combination of injuries and testing positive for Covid.
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The Frenchman arrived at Bramall Lane back in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £10million from Bournemouth – at the time a club record.
However despite joining the club two-and-a-half years ago, Mousset hasn’t played a full 90 minutes for the Blades and now faces either getting back on the treadmill or leaving.
His fitness and stamina is reportedly said to have been a constant concern and this season he’s played just seven times this season.
Despite admitting that his player is working hard, Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom says Mousset is acutely aware he needs to get trimmer to be in contention.
Heckingbottom said: “He was back into the training ground on Thursday. He’s working hard.
“He was doing that, then he got Covid-19. There’s steps you need to take, to see how players are reacting.
“He has got to up it. He still has to do more and more, he’s aware of this, he’s aware that he needs to get fitter and aware that he needs to lose weight.
“He’s working really hard to do that.”
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Last term, Mousset was given a £50,000 fine and slapped with a six-month driving ban after pleading guilty to driving without due care and attention and failing to stop.
He lost control of his Lamborghini and smashed into two parked cars in an incident in January last year.
Former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder, who signed Mousset, spoke in 2021 of the issues his side had with regards getting Mousset into a regular routine.
Wilder said: “From our point of view, it’s about getting to the bottom of his issues.
“And really, there has to be a big push by the player now to participate and to add something that we know he’s got.
“He understands our feelings on him. There’s certain things he controls and he has to make a contribution in the second half of the season.
“I want it to happen but he’s got to make it happen and want it to happen.
“And fingers crossed he can do.”
Mousset’s contract at the club expires at the end of the current season but they do hold the option to extend it by a further year should they decide to activate the clause.
Twitter users reacted as Sheffield United tell £10m signing Lys Mousset he must ‘lose weight’ to play for them…
@Fulwood_Blade: Gosh – you’ve got to smile about Moose. So much talent, but having never played a full 90 minutes for United and Bournemouth in 6/7 years tells it’s own story. UTB
@blades261: He’s spent too much time in McD’s drive thru
@skibumg: Unacceptable that a professional is not fit! Needs to go!
@dbrownblade1: Wearing a West Ham shirt, he’s not the brightest is he?
@Josh_SUFC_: it’s got Diop on the back presumably one of his mates ? don’t see anything wrong with this to be honest , fair enough if it was a wednesday shirt but west ham are pretty much irrelevant to us these days
@djm0466: Get him fit, move him on
Could it get any worse for Lys Mousset’s Blades career?
Well he’s now wearing a West Ham shirt in his spare time 🤦♂️🤣 pic.twitter.com/iQHSRCS2Ep
— Ingood Nick (@IngoodNick17) January 13, 2022
@Jamesfletcher82: Most frustrating Blade players for years, when he’s on it he has the potential to be as good as Deano, apart from a little cameo at Barnsley it’s 2 years since we’ve seen that
@Myers2409: Past a joke now with Mousse, 3 years with us & hasn’t completed 90 minutes! He needs binning off ASAP, Him along with a few others have took the piss out of us for far to long! Whilst on big wages!
@katchuoro: Been stepping that fitness up for 7 years and NOT ONCE has he played 90 mins in ENG football. Mad stat!
@BladeLoney: Some fans must’ve a short memory or maybe weren’t born? We were relegated as West Ham knowingly cheated playing ‘Tevez’. Other way around the League would’ve deducted pts from us instead of ‘old pals’ West Ham. Sunday leagues deduct pts for illegal players. Dont like West Ham 😡
@SevenHillsBlade: At best, it’s misguided and ill informed. At face value, it’s very disappointing. Worst case scenario, it’s arrogant goading of a club’s fans who have been very patient with him for a very long time. Not sure which of these three I’d settle on tbh.
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