Stade Rennais: the incredible enigma Lovro Majer

This Sunday, Stade Rennais caused a sensation on the lawn of the Parc des Princes by going for a 2-0 victory. A meeting where Lovro Majer remained on the bench for 90 minutes without coming into play. However fit, the 25-year-old player is clearly no longer as essential as before with only 5 starts in 12 matches played in 2023. A fairly trajectory surprising when you remember his last season with the Bretons. Arrived at the end of the summer transfer window with the status of future star of Croatian football, Lovro Majer arrived from Dinamo Zagreb against 12 million euros and had everything in the right hand. Flooding Ligue 1 with his talent, the left-hander offered a convincing first exercise with 6 goals and 9 counter offerings for 36 matches played under the orders of Bruno Genesio. Custodian of the game of his training, he reigned over the midfield alternating between the positions of number 8 and number 10. Enough to attract the interest of other formations.

This summer, Paris Saint-Germain inquired as we revealed to you or Atlético de Madrid were in the running. Arsenal joined the race last September Finally remaining, Lovro Majer had a difficult start to the season. Baptiste Santamaria’s long injury pushed him to play further back. A position in the double pivot less optimal for his qualities because forcing him to defend more. Despite everything, the World Cup came at the right time for the one who has only 2 goals and 4 offerings with Rennes this season in 32 games. Although replacing with Croatia behind the trio made up of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic, Lovro Majer – like Nikola Vlasic – was an option of choice to bring freshness to the midfield despite losing in quality. He made good entries and even scored a goal against Canada.

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Lovro Majer in full doubt

Since returning to Rennes, he had been linked to Real Madrid but Bruno Genesio was quickly rumored: “for the moment, we have not decided who could possibly leave the club. I think that the more successful players we have in each position, the more chances we have of achieving the objectives that have been set for us. It has to be done in a calm state of mind, which has been the case since the start of the season. Competition must lead to surpassing oneself, to progress and not to having frustration and expressing it. If this is the case we will advise, if it remains as it was during the first part of the season, I think it is good to have effective as we have. Remained, the left-hander who is under contract until June 2027 has nevertheless been in a more vague situation since.

Less and less used by Bruno Génésio, the latter could not hide the poor form of his playmaker. “I don’t know, it’s difficult. I talk to him regularly and he himself has trouble explaining it. There is nothing in particular that could make him worse, neither personally, nor professionally, nor with the group. It’s part of a career to have periods when you’re less well. It’s up to us to surround him, to help him and it’s up to us to find the Lovro we knew because we need him. He is one of our technical leaders and we need a Lovro at his best level for the team to perform.” he explained after the home defeat against Rennes on March 5 where Lovro Majer had only played 5 minutes. Collateral victim of Martin Terrier’s injury which led to the reorganization of the Rennes eleven, the 25-year-old player will have to find the levers to move forward. Rennes needs it and so does he if he wants the big clubs to come back to attack him this summer. The international break with Croatia, with matches against Wales this Friday and Turkey (March 28), could allow him to find some good feelings.