Orel Mangala set for Lyon return against Nantes

Belgian international midfielder Orel Mangala (27) will make his return with Lyon this Sunday as Les Gones host relegation strugglers FC Nantes. Lyon head coach Paulo Fonseca has confirmed that the former Nottingham Forest midfielder will make tomorrow matchday squad for Lyon, who rocked to the top of the Europa League standings on the back of their 6-0 away thrashing of Maccabi Tel-Aviv.

Mangala joined Lyon from Nottingham Forest in the dying hours of the 2024 winter transfer window on loan with a €17m obligation to buy. His move to Groupama Stadium was made permanent six months later. However, Mangala was then sent out on loan to Everton.

The 27-year-old suffered an ACL injury with the Toffees in February and he seems to be now fit for duty again. “He’s a player who isn’t ready to play a lot of games, but we’ll see if we have the opportunity to start playing him“, Fonseca said. “I think he’ll be an important player for us in the future.”

GFFN | Bastien Cheval