Former Sunderland midfielder Steed Malbranque left St Etienne because he did not have fun at training
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steed-Malbranque-c33957, the 31-year-old French midfielder, insisted he had not ruled out the possibility of playing football. He left English Premier League side Sunderland during the summer transfer window to return to his homeland, joining Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne. However, he left last week after his contract was terminated by mutual agreement.
The initial reports claimed that Malbranque had decided to retire because his son had been diagnosed with cancer. However, the player’s agent and later the club both denied the early reports, claiming that the former Sunderland midfielder did not have a son and no members of his immediate family were ill. The player spoke out on the reasons to his decision to leave the French side.
In a shocking revelation, Malbranque claimed that he had decided to leave St Etienne because he did not have fun at training. After ten years in the English Premier League, the midfielder must have found it difficult to adjust with the French side. He insisted he had no intention of retiring from football and hinted that he could be returning to the Premier League.
Malbranque said while speaking to reporters:
“I never said I was retiring. The club said that.
I decided not to talk until my contract had been cancelled. Now I can say that the reason I left was because I didn't have fun at training.”
However, Malbranque did not make it clear when he would be making a return to football. Having rejected offers from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, he could have to wait until the January transfer window or even longer since the clubs have already named their 25-man squad for the first half of the season. The player revealed he was in no hurry and would wait before making his decision.
He said:
“I will make a decision based on the challenges involved, not money. I am in no rush and will set no deadline. At my age it is important to have fun.”
The St Etienne manager Christophe Galtier revealed that he was quite surprised by Malbranque’s reasons for leaving the club. He revealed the player had refused to feature for the club on countless occasions and had been given days off after his claim that he was not in the right frame of mind. The manager said that Malbranque had wanted to return to the team last weekend, but by then he had already brought in replacements.
Galtier said in an interview:
“I am surprised to hear Steed's words. The day before the Nancy game he came to see me and said he was not in the right frame of mind to play a match, he was questioning his ability to carry on playing.”
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