Midfielder breaks silence on absence from City first team
HAN-NOAH Massengo insists he’ll “make the most” out of the situation having been exiled to the Bristol City Under-21s, with no obvious return to the first-team matchday squad as his contract at Ashton Gate runs down, writes James Piercy.
Massengo has started the last four games for the Under-21 side after a poor performance at Birmingham City last month with Nigel Pearson admitting that he’ll only use him if he needs to, claiming the French midfielder has fallen down the hierarchy as he’s exploring opportunities beyond BS3.
Massengo is out of contract next summer and with an offer of a new deal having been left unsigned since the end of last year, it increasingly appears that he may have played his last game for the Robins. He can sign a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of England in the January transfer window.
Notably, the former France Under-19 international was selected to play for the U21s against Watford on Tuesday afternoon, instead of being called up to the senior set-up for their Carabao Cup tie later in the evening against Lincoln City, with academy midfielder Dylan Kadji selected in the starting XI.
Massengo, below, who continues to train with the first-team, has not spoken publicly since the end of last season when Bristol Live attended a community event involving his former teammates from Paris. He has not been put forward for pre or post-match press conferences all season, as was the case with Famara Diedhiou in his final season for City.
But taking to Instagram, just under 24 hours after playing for the U21s with City then losing 3-1 to Lincoln and exiting the Carabao Cup at the third round stage, Massengo said: “Controlling what’s controllable. Experiencing a new challenge on the football journey but I’ll make the most out of it. Always grateful to put on the shirt. You Reds.”
Massengo has made 111 appearances for City since signing from Monaco in the summer of 2019 and showed significant development under Pearson during last season.
However, with City unable to sell the midfielder over the most recent transfer window, they’ve been left in the difficult position of a prized asset leaving the football club for minimal compensation once his contract expires.