New signing Ngoumou takes part in first training session with the Foals

New signing Nathan Ngoumou took part in his first training session with the team on Wednesday, as preparations for the weekend’s Bundesliga game against Mainz got underway. Ramy Bensebaini was able to return and complete parts of team training, while Alassane Plea and Stefan Lainer participated in an individual session.

Ngoumou put pen to paper on a five-year deal with Borussia just yesterday, and was on the pitch with his new teammates less than 24 hours later. “Nathan is a great guy. He’s made a good impression so far and has been warmly welcomed. He smiles a lot and is very positive. He also looks focused and disciplined,” said head coach Daniel Farke.

“His speed is evident on the pitch, and he’s also got a solid build and a lot of power in his legs. To play for the France U21s is already proof of his talent, as they have really good players in the team. Nathan did well on a consistent basis at Toulouse last season, and played a big part in their promotion. However, he’s still very young and I don’t want to pile too much pressure on him. We see a lot of potential in him – he’s very talented and has a lot of potential. But, we will also have to work a lot with him,” said Farke.

Bensebaini completes parts of team training, Plea & Lainer train individually

In addition to Ngoumou, Farke was able to welcome Ramy Bensebaini back to team training. The left-back had been sidelined for several days with a cold, but was able to complete large parts of Wednesday’s session. He only sat out the small-sided games at the end of training.

Meanwhile, Alassane Plea and Stefan Lainer completed an individual session. Plea had picked up a knock against Bayern last weekend (1-1) and needed to be taken off, while Lainer was rested due to a knee inflammation. “We were worried that Lasso would be out for a while, but he looked good today. He trained individually and we hope that he might be able to return to team training tomorrow,” said Farke. “The same goes for Stevie. His inflammation has gone down and he was able to move well again.”

The Foals will train four more times before Sunday’s home game against Mainz (17:30 CEST), with two public sessions on Thursday and Friday (both at 10:45 CEST).