Lyon’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles: ‘I’m happy playing football again.’
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (26) has said that he has rediscovered his love for football since joining Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais side in the summer.
Collectively and individually, Lyon had a dreadful start to the campaign. By December, OL were bottom of Ligue 1 and even as recently as February, the club were in the relegation play-off places. Having missed the pre-season with Lyon, following his move on a free transfer after his Arsenal contract expired, Maitland-Niles was failing to find his feet and under Laurent Blanc and then Fabio Grosso, he was not guaranteed a starting spot.
He was particularly critical of the latter. “[Not playing] wasn’t new for me. He didn’t even know me as a person. He never asked me how I felt, or what I wanted. I stayed calm and I worked. He left before we even had a conversation,” said the former Arsenal man.
However, the England international has featured much more prominently under Pierre Sage, who has sparked a revival at the club. In what is undoubtedly the highlight of his career with Les Gones so far, Maitland-Niles netted a 106th-minute penalty to secure a 4-3 victory over Stade Brestois on Sunday, which lifts Lyon into seventh and a European place.
‼️ Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ 106th-minute winner in Lyon’s stunning 4-3 win over Brest was the latest goal scored in Ligue 1 in the 21st century.
