AS Roma boss Mourinho angry with Felix Afena-Gyan over nightclub with Primavera friends
Young Felix Afena-Gyan has suffered the wrath of AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho after the Ghanaian following his friends from Primavera (U19s) to a nightclub.
The Ghanaian was ruled out of Roma’s squad for last Sunday’s clash in Spezia due to a bruised hip.
Afena-Gyan and his friends attended a nightclub and returned at dawn, with Mourinho particularly furious at the 19-year-old who got promoted to the first team following a stellar performance earlier in the season.
The Portuguese has punished Afena-Gyan, sending him back to the Under-19s.
This comes after Mourinho lashed out at El Shaarawy and Zaniolo 10 days ago for breaking camp rules by attending a party but not returning at dawn, as was the case with Afena-Gyan.
Afena-Gyan was spotted training on Tuesday as he works hard to regain full fitness but he is likely to play for the U19 team when he is declared fit.
It is reveal that Afena-Gyan has shown remorse and apologised to Mourinho, hoping the former Chelsea boss will forgive and approve his return to the first team.
Afena-Gyan has scored two good goals in 12 league appearances this season.
Mourinho promises Afena-Gyan
18-year-old substitute Felix Afena-Gyan scored twice in the final 16 minutes to help Jose Mourinho’s Roma get back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Genoa on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho has revealed the price he has been forced to pay after a teenager spared Roma ‘s blushes on Sunday.
18-year-old forward Felix Afena-Gyan scored twice after being brought on with just 16 minutes remaining to give the Giallorossi a 2-0 win at relegation candidates Genoa.
Mourinho’s men had gone three games without a victory prior to the international break but ‘The Special One’ had the young Ghanaian to thank, making just his third Serie A appearance, as his team consolidated fifth place.
However, the result came with a catch, as Mourinho explained post-match that he had promised to buy Afena-Gyan “really expensive” new boots if he made an impact.
“I had promised to buy Felix the boots he really likes, which are really expensive, they cost €800 [£671], so he ran over and told me not to forget,” the Roma boss told DAZN .
“Tomorrow morning, the first thing I do is buy him the boots.
“I am sorry for Mister [Alberto] De Rossi and the Primavera [youth] squad, but Felix will stay with us.
“The Primavera work close to us, so Felix and another four or five players have come across to the senior squad.”
Afena-Gyan’s goals were of first-team quality, too, with his opener being an angled drive and second strike a sensational curling effort into the far top corner to seal the three points, which understandably delighted his manager.
“What impressed me the most was his cool head in front of goal,” Mourinho continued, before pointing out more positive traits in his starlet.
“If he is not in terms of technique fantastic, he does have a strong mentality.
“You get these kids now who think they know everything, but he is humble and you can sense he just absorbs all this information from everyone around him. That’s fantastic.”
Meanwhile at the Stadio comunale Luigi Ferraris, the ex- Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss also met one of his former players on the touchline in the shape of new Genoa manager Andriy Shevchenko.
Mourinho revealed that he made a kind gesture to the incoming Ukrainian pre-match, as Shevchenko’s inherited side sit third from bottom in the Italian top flight.
“Before kick-off, he gave me a bottle of red wine, which is a traditional gift in English football for the home coach,” the Portuguese explained.
“I also had a chat with [assistant manager Mauro] Tassotti. I am happy for me, disappointed for him, one day those positions will be changed and he will feel bad for me, happy for him.
“The great thing is that he is in love with this sport and the role of a coach. You have to be crazy about it to do this job and he is crazy about it.”
