Manu Pirès presents his three young guns:

While Rémi Mestrallet (22 years old) has already made his senior-squad debut, three other youngsters from the youth academy will be making their first trip with the professional squad: Théo Pionnier, Alexandre Parsemain and Salim Ben Seghir. 

"Three serious and attentive boys," according to Manu Pirès, who noted that these players "are there to make up for any shortfalls. Let them enjoy, observe and learn from these moments. But their inclusion not an end in itself. They are part of the reserve squad and their place is still in training to develop their qualities."

Théo Pionner, 18, is a central defender. "He started with Emerse Faé in the U19s last season, but finished the season with the reserves. He's a rigorous, serious lad who has also just graduated from high school," explained Pirès, the director of Nice's youth academy. Pionnier, a native of Gap, had a taste of the pro squad last season, when Red Star FC won the French Cup last January (2-1).

From left to right: Pioneer, Ben Seghir and Mestrallet

"He's a very serious boy and a real football fan," Pirès explained of a France U17 international Salim Ben Seghir, whom he called up to the reserve squad several times last season. "He knows where he wants to go and he's doing all the right things to get there. His early training was as a wide player but he's a creator who likes to be at the heart of the game. Physically, he's evolving, building muscle. We mustn't forget that he's still very young (17 years old)."

Also born in 2003, Alexandre Parsemain arrived this summer from Istres.
"He can play in any position across the attack," declared the Nice coach. "Of course, he is aware that things go fast, but he has - like Salim and Theo - his head firmly on his shoulders."

Alexandre Parsemain