Julien Fournier spoke to L'Equipe and Nice-Matin about Dante's injury, suffered against Angers on Sunday (0-3). In spite of the heavy blow, he wants to look on the bright side for both the club and the captain, who will soon undergo surgery on the ruptured ACL in his left knee. Sure of the Brazilian's strength of charcter and determination, the club's Director of Football explained the injury does not spell the end of the CommanDANTE's career nor his Nice adventure.

Dante had played every minute of the season up to Sunday's injury, which will sideline him for many months. "It's 90% sure his season is over. If he comes back, it'll be perhaps for the last month. It's bad news for him, it's bad news for the club," explained Julien Fournier. "But we have to deal with it and we'll do that with the squad we have now…and see, perhaps, if a situation like this brings other players to the fore."

"With Dante's injury, we still have four players whose preferred position is centre-back (Nsoki, Bambu, Pelmard and Daniliuc), as well as Danilo (a midfielder), who showed last season he could play in that position," he added, explaining the club "never reacts hastily."

'HIS INJURY DOESN'T CHANGE OUR VISION'

Dante, who has played 160 times for Le Gym, had never had such an injury in his glorious career. "His reaction when he knew it was his ACL was to ask when he would be operated on and what his rehab would be like. It won't be the end of his career and won't be his last match with OGC Nice," Fournier said. "He's a model professional on the pitch, and I know he'll do his rehab at 400% and he'll get back to his old self. His future is at OGC Nice, as a player for as long as he wants and then in another role. He is really part of the club. Unlike 99% of players who we need to secure as an asset, we have never worked on the basis of contract length with him, and his injury doesn't change our vision."

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