Mario Balotelli and Alassane Plea miss Patrick Vieira's first Nice training day
Monday 2 July 2018 14:48, UK
Patrick Vieira's coaching career at Nice has got off to a rocky start, with strikers Mario Balotelli and Alassane Plea failing to show up for the first day of pre-season training.
Balotelli was the French club's top scorer with 18 goals last season while Plea netted 16 and both the strikers have been linked with moves away from the club this summer.
Vieira, who replaced Lucien Favre, took his first training session on Monday 2 July and afterwards said he had "no idea where either player was".
"We were supposed to have all the players [available]. Unfortunately, those weren't there," Vieira said. "We are trying to get to the bottom of it.
"We were expecting him [Plea] today but he wasn't here and it wasn't foreseen. My wish is to keep the players who want to be part of the project."
According to L'Equipe's website Plea's absence was due to a problem with airline tickets but the Frenchmen had no explanation for Balotelli's no-show.
The 42-year-old joined the Ligue 1 side after he had spent two years managing MLS side New York City.
