Arriving this summer from his native country, the young Romanian has not yet fully adapted to Nice.
Recently called up with the Romanian U21 team, Rares Ilie was questioned about his first few months after his transfer to Nice. The player, who can perform both as a number 10 or on the wing, admitted he is still struggling after more than three months in France (having arrived on July 16 on the Côte d’Azur).
“I missed Romania! It doesn’t matter if we face two clubs. At OGC Nice, I speak in French, but it’s not easy to be surrounded by 100% foreign players, especially when I still have reflexes of the Romanian language.”
Even though Lucien Favre was expected to rely on him this season, it seems he is still a bit inexperienced. At 19, it is normal that the transition between the Romanian championship and Ligue 1 takes time. No worries, Rares Ilie has the talent; he managed to take advantage of his playing time with the U21s to deliver one assist in just 45 minutes of play.
