Unless there's a major U-turn in the career of Han-Noah Massengo, he's almost certainly played his final game for Bristol City.
However, his popularity in BS3 combined with his potential provides intrigue when it comes to where his career will take him, both in the short term and long term. Massengo's contract expires at the end of June while he sees out the rest of his deal with Ligue 1 side Auxerre.
Embroiled in a battle against the drop, the 21-year-old has been a key player in the side since joining on loan during the January transfer window. He's started the last eight matches with Auxerre losing just once and conceding three times in the process.
His regular run of football and form earned him a recall to the French national youth set-up, featuring in their Under-21 side against England and Spain during the recent international break. During a press conference last week, Massengo confirmed his future was in the back of his mind, but the priority remained to keep his side in the top flight.
We spoke to Auxerre journalist Nicolas Fillon, who provided insight into how Massengo is performing in France and his thoughts on the player's future beyond the campaign.
How would you rate Massengo's start at Auxerre?
Massengo plays in a two-man midfield, in AJA's 5-2-3 system. He is box-to-box alongside the captain, Birama Touré. He played his first game for Auxerre on 1 February, coming on as a substitute in the 3-2 defeat at Monaco, his former club.
In the next game, against Reims, he celebrated his first start with a 0-0 draw against one of the surprise teams of the Championship. He then made a series of starts and was one of the key elements in AJA's turnaround (in his eight Ligue 1 starts, Auxerre lost only once, winning three and drawing four). Thanks to him, Auxerre have regained stability in midfield and he is one of the team's driving forces, providing the link between attack and defence.
How would you assess his strengths and weaknesses?
His strengths include a very high volume of play and runs, his stamina and his vision of the game. His pressing and ability to find himself in the right areas to intercept the ball or make himself available for his partners are also very effective although he is capable of making an honest mistake. As he's playing in a box-to-box midfield in a two-man midfield he attacks as much as he defends and he's everywhere on the pitch.
His weaknesses include his finishing in front of goal - but he gives so much elsewhere on the pitch that it's hard to blame him - and his aerial ability. He still needs to learn to spare his efforts a little (he can disappear a little at times during the game), and he can be guilty of conceding fouls - he's already had two yellow cards in eight Ligue 1 matches.
He is out of contract in the summer, do you think his performances will attract long-term interest from Auxerre?
He seems to be enjoying himself at Auxerre, but given the qualities he has shown since his arrival (and he also just earned his first two caps for the French U21s), the bigger teams should not be slow to take an interest in him.
According to the newspaper L'Equipe, he is one of the biggest earners at the club, believed to be around €50,000 gross per month. It goes without saying that it will be extremely difficult to keep him if AJA goes down to the second division.
Has there been any transfer talk in France over his future?
We interviewed AJA's executive chairman, Baptiste Malherbe, on our programme '100% AJA' on France Bleu Auxerre on 6 March, and this is what he said when talking about the players on loan this winter, such as Massengo: "We'd like some of the lads to be able to stay with us, but for that to happen, we need to keep our place (in the league).
"There will be discussions at the end of the season with everyone, but we need to keep our place. We'll do everything we can to keep the best of them with us."
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