Friday, October 29, 2021 at 3:38 PM• Last update: 15:39

Aliou Baldé is currently not part of the first selection of Feyenoord, Arne Slot announced at the press conference in the run-up to the Eredivisie game with Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday afternoon. The Senegalese attacker has been returned to the Under 21 and will also play his matches there for the time being. Slot also indicated that midfielder Franco Antonucci is on his way back after a lingering injury.

At the press conference it is noted that Baldé is no longer often in the match selection and is also not present at the training sessions. “That is not a private matter. Aliou…”, Slot then laughs a little uncomfortably and then explains. “No it’s not private, but I wasn’t very satisfied with how Aliou completed a number of things, both on the training field and outside the training field. That is why he now fills in most of the training sessions with the Under 21.”

According to the trainer, the Senegalese attacker is in control when he rejoins the first team. “If he fills that in again very well, both off the field and on the field, there is another chance that he will join the selection. But in that order,” says Slot. Baldé came over from Senegalese Diambars de Saly Dourbel in January 2021 and made three appearances as a substitute last season. The wing attacker did not get any further this season than a ten-minute substitute at the end of August in the lost game against FC Utrecht (3-1).

Slot previously expressed the expectation about Franco Antonucci that he will join the first team during the winter break. “Antonucci will make his first minutes with the promises tomorrow,” the Feyenoord coach said. “I think we are now almost four months further. Now that is constant training, then not and then again. He has been on the verge of playing a match a few times and then he couldn’t again. He’s going to play again tomorrow for the first time, so he’s quite a bit behind the rest of the group in that regard, who are constantly in a kind of rhythm. The fact that he is now training again and will also play matches again ensures that we can use him again in the coming period.”