Giroud resumes training with LOSC but remains uncertain for Angers clash

Olivier Giroud returned to training with LOSC on Wednesday, four days before the trip to Angers for the season’s opening Ligue 1 match. The 38-year-old striker, who will turn 40 on September 30, wore a knee brace and did not participate in the opposition work, leaving his availability for Sunday’s match (3 p.m.) in doubt.

The 2018 World Cup winner left early from a pre-season friendly against Everton last Saturday in Liverpool after a collision with Iliman Ndiaye. The club quickly reassured: “The consequences of the impact suffered are benign,” the official statement read, and initial tests proved satisfactory.

The situation is nonetheless delicate for Davide Ancelotti, who inherits a weakened attacking department from the start of the season. Hamza Igamane, absent since suffering a serious knee injury at the Africa Cup of Nations, remains unavailable. Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who finished last season as a striker, has not played in the recent warm-up matches: the Belgian international wants to leave the club and has been approached by Atlético de Madrid, while also being courted in England.

Giroud had been fielded as a starter throughout pre-season by the new LOSC coach. Last season, under Bruno Genesio, he accumulated 44 appearances across all competitions — a significant volume for a player of his age — precisely because of Igamane’s repeated absences, finishing with 11 goals despite difficult spells.

Should the former AC Milan striker be ruled out, Ancelotti would have to turn to 19-year-old Soriba Diaoune, who was unconvincing in his first professional season. The coach could also reposition Hakon Haraldsson, Ethan Mbappé or Turkish recruit Basar Önal as a striker, less natural solutions for a LOSC side qualified for the Ligue des Champions and expected to compete on all fronts.