If Adam Ounas does land at
Manchester United this summer, the first bit of advice to come from
Jose Mourinho will surely be: Get off social media!
No matter what happens to the
Bordeaux prospect in the coming months, we're all going to be hearing more and more about Adam Ounas.
On the pitch, the attraction for United is obvious. Mourinho's predecessor, Louis van Gaal, made it almost a mantra when discussing his squad last season: "We need more fast, creative players". Which describes Ounas to a tee.
The boy is rapid. Can create and score goals. And boasts a box of tricks that
Bordeaux sources claim he's barely touched since his first team breakthrough in October.
"I love watching (Angel) Di Maria and (Sofiane) Boufal," says Ounas. "They're role models for me.
"What they've achieved is huge and its something I aspire to be also."
Di Maria? Boufal? You get the drift. Ounas is the type of fleet-of-foot winger Van Gaal was craving last season. Now, it's emerged this week, United have opened talks with
Bordeaux's outspoken president, Jean-Louis Triaud, about a price for the teen.
But do United
really know what they're getting?
Listen to his coaches and butter wouldn't melt... Willy Sagnol, who gave Ounas his
Bordeaux debut this past season, admits the youngster was a rare highlight in a dismal campaign.
"Currently, when I think about selecting a player, Adam comes first to my mind for his technique and freshness," Sagnol stated at the time. "His attitude or his involvement in the junior teams is often discussed, but since he's been with us, he is blameless."
Yeah, the "attitude". It was this
attitude that had Ounas shown the door at
Chateauroux, finding himself with a regional club going nowhere. But a chance appearance in a charity game in front of a watching
Bordeaux scout changed his life.
"Arnaud Vaillant, the recruiter, with Yannick Stopyra saw me in a gala match featuring several players who had just been excluded from training centers. I did a week of trials there. I also had a chance to join
Caen, but my mind was made up. I told my agent to forget about
Caen. I didn't even want to trial there. I already was set on joining
Bordeaux."
And the
Chateauroux experience?
"They were childish mistakes because I was immature. When you are young, you can do silly things."
Ounas admits being dumped did jolt him.
"At first it was a bit difficult, I thought it was going to be hard to find a club where I could turn pro, even if I was talented. To return to a pro club after a year. A club like
Bordeaux. It is extraordinary."
But even with the second chance
Bordeaux provided, Ounas was still prone to the occasional outburst. As Sagnol hinted, there has been the odd flashpoint for Ounas at youth level.
Teammate
Frederic Guilbert says: "Adam is a very good player, we all know his technical qualities and he helps us a lot on the field.
"But as I have always said, he must do mental work and not talk too much to the referee, he should focus on his game."
Ounas does recognise he has a problem with his temperament - and to his credit is trying to find a fix.
"With the U19s, I did have problems. I knew it. The coaches, though, have told me things are getting better. But I know that now I'm with the first team, I have to work doubly hard on all my weaknesses."
One thing you can't level at Ounas is a lack of honesty about his game and his progress. Indeed, rather than milk the praise and applause that has come his way this season, Ounas has been quick to highlight where he needs to improve.
"I think I've improved considerably," he reflected, before adding, "but I know defensively I can do much better.
"I must get stronger. I can't hide the fact that I get tired in games and so can't co-ordinate with the fullback as much as I should. Without the fatigue, I know I could do a better job defensively."
But there is still the temptations of social media - something which Ounas has had plenty of experience with.
Just like another Frenchman with
Manchester United connections, Ounas is no great fan of Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps and his treatment of
Hatem Ben Arfa and
Samir Nasri. He let Deschamps have it on Twitter, before deleting his account.
"We've now introduced training on social media for our young players, to prevent risks," announced U17
Bordeaux coach Armand Garrido.
Thing is, this whole episode occurred back in 2014, after France's World Cup squad was announced. Fast-forward to today and Ounas is not only back on Twitter, but tearing things up again.
In March, he allegedly branded
Toulouse "sh**" on Twitter. He then denied the claims and insisted he was only speaking about Wissam Ben Yedder, the TFC striker! All good fun, but a headache for
Bordeaux management. And it became worse on Periscope, with claims from fans that he stated "we will see later in the season if I stay".
It's been exasperating for
Bordeaux officials, as they've done all they can to shield Ounas from the media glare, limiting him to only a handful of interviews since his October debut. It's perhaps no coincidence that his Periscope admission came on the same day as Sagnol's sacking.
The former
Bayern Munich fullback remains among Ounas' biggest fans and whether it's with
Bordeaux, United or another club, Sagnol is convinced he can have a big future in the game.
"I really hope he will not settle for just a handful of appearances. I believe he has the potential to go far. But he must be protected..."
