Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 9y

Benzema: France teammate Jeremy Menez needs to show more fight

Karim Benzema has told Canal+ his French international teammate Jeremy Menez "gives up quickly" when the going gets tough.

Menez, 27, left Paris Saint-Germain last summer to join AC Milan on a free transfer after the French champions did not offer him a contract extension.

The attacking midfielder struggled at the Parc des Princes last season, making just seven starts and 16 league appearances in total as he was submerged in the fierce competition for places in Laurent Blanc's squad.

He has since complained Blanc and others at the club showed no faith in him, but Benzema, 26, argued Menez perhaps needed to show a little more fight in order to earn his place.

"When things are a little more difficult, he has a tendency to give up quickly," said the former Lyon striker, who famously won the European Under-21 Championship in 2004 alongside Menez, as well as Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa.

"That's what he did at PSG when he saw that the coach perhaps didn't count on him. Afterwards, when he has given up, he's not focused on it anymore, and you can see that immediately.

"He needs a coach that will take care of him, put his arm around him."

The former Roma and Monaco man has perhaps found that in current Rossoneri coach Filippo Inzaghi, who has seen his summer signing score three goals in six Serie A outings so far.

However, that form was still not enough for him to be called up by Didier Deschamps for Les Bleus friendlies with Portugal and Armenia this month.

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