By Chris Wright
According to today’s L’Equipe, former Liverpool, Swansea and Bolton striker David N’Gog has reportedly gone missing after disappearing from his hotel room in France.
N’Gog, who has played just 65 minutes of football since joining Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims over the summer, pulled out of last weekend’s game against Lorient with a stomach bug.
The Reims team doctor has apparently gone on record to say that he then visited N’Gog in his hotel room (his temporary home) and confirmed the striker was feeling unwell.
However, N’Gog hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
L’Equipe’s report adds that Reims’ head coach Jean-Luc Vasseur was originally satisfied that NGog was bed-ridden with sickness when he pulled out of the Lorient game.
Now, he ain’t quite so sure.
The club subsequently sent staff over to check on N’Gog’s health earlier in the week but, to their surprise, the 25-year-old forward had already packed up all of his personal belongings and vacated the room.
Indeed, according to Eurosport, there are rumours abound in France that N’Gog has ducked out in order to return to his family home in the Parisian suburbs.
Now, with all that out of the way, let the jokes about N’Gog routinely going missing for <insert name of previous club here> commence.
UPDATE: Stade de Reims have issued an official club statement that, while not expressly referring to L’Equipe’s rumour-mongering, flatly denies that N’Gog has gone AWOL.
The Reims statement reads thus:
“As explained at the end of last week, David Ngog is the victim of a virus that prevent him from training and, therefore, from plying his trade.
“We remind everyone that respect for people’s private life and medical confidentiality applies to professional football as it does in every other occupation.
“Stade de Reims wishes him a good convalescence and speedy recovery.”
So there.