Toure's Nasr future in doubt after going AWOL

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  • Toure missing from pre-season yet again.

    Controversial centre forward Ibrahima Toure has put his Al Nasr future in jeopardy once again after going AWOL for the second summer in a row.

    Toure, 29, has proved to be a regular source of both goals and disciplinary incidents since he was signed from Monaco in August 2013. This theme has continued after a glorious 2014/15 campaign for club and player, with his strikes playing a key role in the President’s Cup and Arabian Gulf Cup double.

    The Senegal international failed to report for pre-season training when it began in Dubai on July 11, his unauthorised absence stretching into the ongoing German tour from July 19. 

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    Nasr’s anger has been increased after they discovered the player spent the early weeks of pre-season in the UAE, only departing for Africa in the last fortnight.

    “The thing with Toure is that he is a great and positive member of the squad when he is present,” a senior Nasr official said. 

    “But he has proven time and again he cannot be relied upon when away from coach Ivan Jovanovic’s team structure.

    “It was the same last summer and the story has repeated itself. Behaviour like this means we have to seriously consider other options, for the good of the club as a whole.”

    Toure has been a success on the pitch, scoring 34 goals in 43 Arabian Gulf League games. But this output has been tempered by his errant behaviour. 

    He first cited the birth of a child when he failed to report for pre-season training in July 2014, following this up when the action began with a violent unprovoked assault in September’s opening round of the Arabian Gulf League against Bani Yas defender Mohammed Jaber which resulted in a four-match ban.

    All attempts this time around to contact him or agent Guy-Michel Boli have been fruitless. Further knowledge of his movements have come only from his posts on social media site Instagram.

    Nasr are keen to cut their losses on a talented but unreliable star, though they are aware he will be difficult to replace in the current market. Reports in Brazilian newspaper Zero Hora stated a two-year contract had been offered to 31-year-old Internacional striker Nilmar.

    تدريب العميد | الجمعة 24 يوليو 2015 | معسكر ألمانيا pic.twitter.com/blKL7TyP4d

    — AL Nasr Club (@ALNasrSC) July 24, 2015

    The same Nasr source confirmed the 23-times-capped former Brazil international is an option, though nothing definitive was expected in the immediate future.

    Al Jazira have responded to a Blue Wave bid for unwanted winger Jonathan Pitroipa, but the deal is fraught with difficulty as they are loath to sell to a domestic rival. Only ex-Al Ahli playmaker Luis Jimenez has been added to the four-player foreign quota thus far.

    Nasr have exits of their own on their mind. 

    Former captain Leo Lima and winger Ivan Trickovski are both in Germany despite being surplus to requirements, Toure now putting himself in the same bracket.

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