Maja Must Do More – Bordeaux Coach Unhappy With Nigerian Star Despite Goalscoring Display

Super Eagles forward Josh Maja has been charged by his club boss to give more to the team than just scoring goals.

Bordeaux coach Paulo Sousa has expressed his displeasure at the inability of the Nigerian striker to lead the attack for the team on his own.

The Portuguese manager admits that Maja has remarkable goalscoring abilities but reveals that the youngster comes short in holding up play and bringing others into space.

Former Sunderland ace, Maja, netted Bordeaux’s only goal at St. Etienne on Sunday, but the hosts fought back to draw the match despite playing the last quarter of an hour with ten men.

It was the 21-year-old’s sixth strike of the current Ligue 1 campaign, making him one of Girondins Bordeaux’s most prolific stars. Only Frenchman Jimmy Briand has more goals (7) than the Nigerian international.

However, Les Girondins continue to struggle in the French top flight with the club placed in a disappointing 12th position on the log with just ten rounds of matches left to be played.

One of Bordeaux’s major problems is their inability to convert draws to wins with the team drawing five of their last seven league games.

Sousa, though, believes Maja, who has managed 21 appearances this term, must bear some of the blame.

“I have already said, he (Maja) is a player who has tactical and physical difficulties when the team does not have the ball but also in the possession phase,” the Bordeaux boss was quoted by WebGirondins.

“We need to have a striker that gives depth, which opens up spaces. He’s (Maja’s) a goal scorer, it’s an important quality, but for our workforce right now, it’s not enough.”

Maja’s name was not listed in the 24-man squad named by Gernot Rohr to tackle Sierra Leone in an AFCON qualifier later this month.