Like most other people in the world, the FC Barcelona players are currently spending their time away from professional duties during the Christmas holidays.
Having got almost halfway through the current highly demanding season, these players are spending some time with their near and dear ones, before they resume their usual routines. One of these players whose Christmas holidays stand out is the French defender, Jules Kounde.
As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the defender, accompanied with his sister and uncle, used his time off to visit his grandmother in Benin, whom he had not seen for ten years, and in addition to exploring different parts of the country, also made a stop in Senegal.
In Senegal, he participated in an event, where he also spoke to the media. One of his comments addressed the solution to Barcelona’s defensive problems this season:
“We have to rediscover what made us strong last year, which was our defense. We need to defend well together, and put in efforts collectively. I believe the team is aware of that. I think this break has benefited us. We have a lot of confidence and optimism. We’ll keep working very hard so that the second half of the season is better, aiming to win titles.”
Kounde also spoke highly about Mikayil Faye, the Barcelona Atletic defender who hails from Senegal, as he visited his country:
“I had the chance to get to know him a lot during the preseason and also to see a bit of him recently. I think he has a lot of talent. He’s very, very explosive, dynamic, aggressive, very good with the ball, and has a good left foot.”
“He recently arrived in a new country with a new language, and I think he’s doing very well. I’ve heard him speak a bit of Spanish already. I see someone eager to work, and I believe he has a bright future ahead.”
Getting praise from Kounde will definitely boost the morale of the youngster, who will be looking to make his first-team debut as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Kounde will be returning to Barcelona in the coming days, and looking to improve his form, which has been poor since his return from his last injury, ahead of the business half of the season.
