Gyan was supposed to have a better career but he was lazy – Herve Renard

French trainer Herve Renard has said that, but for poor attitude to training, Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan’s career should have blossomed than it did.

The 51-year-old Saudi Arabia national team boss worked closely with Gyan some 12 years ago when he was part of the Black Stars’ backroom staff for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations as a ‘physical trainer’.

From the two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner’s observation, Gyan had all the qualities to be great but did not like to put in much effort during training sessions, preferring to reserve them for matches and competitions.

Gyan, who is in the twilight of his career, grew to become Ghana’s all-time scorer, holds the record of the most goals, six, by and African player at the Fifa World Cup and has a decent club record.

But Herve Renard contends the 34-year-old did not fully utilize his potential.

“The quality of Asamoah Gyan was amazing. I was always impressed with his timing of headers. He was a very good goalscorer, fantastic player, amazing player,” he said in an interview with TV3’s Juliet Bawuah.

Renard continued: “But I have something to tell him. He was supposed to have a better career but he was lazy.

“In training, he was lazy. He only likes the games. But he was the most important player but I know him and he didn’t like the training, he only likes the competition, the games.”

Herve Renard left Ghana to be his own man after the 2008 Afcon. He coached African countries like Zambia (on two separate stints), Angola, Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco before taking up the Saudi job in 2019. He succeeded in winning the 2012 and 2015 Afcon with Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire respectively.

Speaking further on the best player he worked with on the continent, Renard said:

“I can’t choose between Micheal Essien and Yaya Toure.”

“Essien was an amazing player and a good guy. I was assistant only in Ghana but he was respecting me like the head coach, and for a star to do that was great. On the field, he was fantastic.

“For Yaya Toure, I had the chance to win an Afcon with him. He is the kind of player that makes the difference. These two players are on the same line.”

Drogba regret

Renard could not get to work with Chelsea great Didier Drogba when he led Cote d’Ivoire to end their 23-year Africa Cup of Nations title drought by beating Ghana 9-8 on penalties at the finals of the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea.

“Didier Drogba ended his career with the national team just before I came. I wanted him to come back but he didn’t, and then we won the Africa Cup of Nations. But my regret was that he was not with us.

“I think he deserved to be with us when we won the Afcon in 2015,” said the only coach to secure the title with two different countries.