“He’s a special guy” – Malick Fofana confident Gift Orban will come good for Lyon

Olympique Lyonnais and Belgium U-21 winger, Malick Fofana, is convinced that Gift Orban will come good for the club despite failing to create a good impression in his first few games, Soccernet.ng reports.

21-year-old Orban had a stellar career in Belgium with KAA Gent, scoring 32 goals in 52 games, and earning himself a first-time call-up to the Super Eagles squad late last year.

The center forward's goal-scoring prowess in Belgium saw the seven-time French Ligue 1 champions splash fifteen million euros on the Nigerian, but he is yet to score a goal in eight league games for Les Gones.

Malick Fofana, Orban's teammate, has jumped to defend the Nigerian, claiming he needs time to adapt, although he can also be very difficult to criticize.

Stories that also circulated at Ghent with the reason that he was so convinced of himself and difficult to criticize.

“Oh, Gift has to adapt. There are different rules here than in Ghent. He has had a hard time with that. He's a special, but good guy. In the meantime, everyone knows him a little,” the 18-year-old Belgian winger said in quotes revealed by Voetbalkrant.

Just like Gift, Malick was also swooped from Gent in the winter transfer window, leading to a drop in form for the Belgian powerhouse, but the fleet footed winger believes they'll see a resurgence in the nearest future.

“A team does not depend on one player. I was surprised about the relapse, but in football, anything is possible. Do I still have contact with people from Ghent? Yes, especially with Jordan Torunarigha, Archie Brown and Tarik Tissoudali,” Fofana added.

Since Orban's initial call-up to the Super Eagles camp in September 2023, he has not been invited to the Nigerian camp.