Move over Juninho Pernambucano! Armand Laurienté has developed a reputation as a free-kick specialist this season.
The FC Lorient player is one of just two men to have scored from two free-kicks this season, having netted from a dead ball against AS Saint-Etienne in Round 27 before repeating the feat three weeks later against FC Nantes.
“I’ve taken tips from various players who hit free-kicks like that, and thanks to some practice in training, it’s working,” Laurienté told The Ligue 1 Show on beIN Sports.
“He has an amazing shot. The ball just takes off at incredible speed, and when he hits it right it really moves in the air,” added goalkeeper Matthieu Dreyer. “To be honest, they’re impossible to save. It’s so tough for the goalkeeper.”
Mbappé’s pal
Laurienté’s game is not only about free-kicks though. Fast and powerful, when the 22-year-old is in full flow there are similarities with his good friend Kylian Mbappé, a former room-mate of his at the national academy in Clairefontaine.
However, despite being born in the same month in 1998, Laurienté has needed more time than Mbappé to establish himself. He started his professional career at Stade Rennais FC, but only got regular playing time after being loaned to second-division side US Orléans. The attacker, whose family hails from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, scored three goals in the 2018-19 season, turning in some fine displays and catching the eye of Lorient coach Christophe Pelissier.
“He’s still learning his trade so we talk to him a lot. We do a lot of video work with Armand to help him understand exactly what we expect from him,” Pelissier said.
AC Milan interest?
“At the start, I was creating a lot of chances for myself, but I wasn’t finishing them off. Now I’m managing to put the chances away,” added Laurienté. He has three goals this term, but he has also been the source of constant danger with his surging runs. The right-footer has registered three assists and has created more chances than any other Lorient player.
He was rewarded with a call-up to the France squad for the Under-21 European Championship recently, and with AC Milan believed to be following his progress closely, Laurienté’s future looks very bright indeed.
