Former Zambia and Ivory Coast manager Herve Renard was critical of Ghana’s leading marksman Asamoah Gyan’s attitude in training, while praising his abilities on the pitch.
The veteran forward made his Black Stars debut 2003 and has scored 51 goals in 109 appearances, making him both the country’s top scorer and most capped player.
Gyan has participated at eight Africa Cup of Nations tournaments – 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 – and also represented the West African nation at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
At the 2010 edition in South Africa, Gyan famously missed a crucial extra-time penalty in the quarter-finals against Uruguay which would have made Ghana the first African country to reach the tournament’s semi-finals.
Despite his achievements, Renard shed some light on Gyan’s attitude off the field.
“The quality of Asamoah Gyan was amazing. I was always impressed with his timing of headers,” Renard told TV3 Ghana.
“He was a very good goalscorer, a fantastic player, an amazing player.
“But I have something to tell him. He was supposed to have a better career, but he was lazy.
“In training, he was lazy. He only likes the games. But he was the most important player but I know him and he didn’t like the training, he only likes the competition, the games.”
Gyan is without a club after his contract with Indian Super League outfit NorthEast United was terminated due to a long-term injury he sustained during the season.
He has previously represented nine clubs, which include Liberty Professionals in his home country, Italian outfits Udinese and Modena, Rennes, Sunderland, Al-Ain, Shanghai SIPG, Al Ahli Dubai and Kayserispor.
Renard is presently the coach of Saudi Arabia, a job he has had since July 2019.
He was famous for winning the 2012 and 2015 Afcons, with Zambia and Ivory Coast, respectively.
The 51-year-old Frenchman also had a three-year stint with Morocco, leading them to the World Cup in 2018, their first appearance in 20 years.
He had a short spell with Angola in 2010.
Renard has managed SC Draguignan, Cambridge United, Nam Dinh, AS Cherbourg, USM Alger, Sochaux and Lille at club level.
