Jeremy Jacquet returned for Rennes in a cup tie against Marseille just one day after sealing a £60m summer move to Liverpool on deadline day
Jeremy Jacquet of Stade Rennais warms up before a French Cup match between Olympique de Marseille and Stade Rennais
Jeremy Jacquet returned to Rennes for a cup match after sealing his summer Liverpool move(Image: Getty)
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Jeremy Jacquet made his Rennes return on Tuesday evening after penning a summer deal in principle with Liverpool at the end of the January transfer window. But the 20-year-old didn't enjoy the best of comebacks.
The Frenchman is considered one of Europe's best young defenders and with a host of English clubs vying for his signature, he committed his future to Liverpool on deadline day. Jacquet will arrive in the summer for a fee of £60million.
For the remainder of this campaign, he will stay with Rennes and he jetted back after completing his Liverpool medical just in time to start their French Cup round of 16 clash against Marseille. But Jacquet's return began in the worst possible way with his side conceding inside two minutes.
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With Jacquet at the heart of a back five, Rennes lost 3-0 thanks to goals from Amine Gouiri, Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. French media have now had their say with the defender's hefty price tag a topic of debate.
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GFNF
Jacquet was thrown immediately back into the fray against Marseille and as expected, his move to Liverpool means that more eyes are on him and expectations are higher.
GFNF specifically pointed out that this price tag could prove detrimental to Jacquet, who struggled in the cup tie and specifically looked out of position during certain phases of play.
Jeremy Jacquet of Stade Rennais gestures during a French Cup match between Olympique de Marseille and Stade Rennais
Rennes conceded three in the cup defeat(Image: Getty)
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"Now he's been bought by Liverpool, the price-tag is already hanging over each performance with supporters of the Reds watching," the outlet wrote.
"His advanced positions on the ball were interesting but he looked exposed defensively in the second half, especially with Greenwood's pace on the counter-attack."
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Ouest-France
Daily newspaper Ouest-France was far less scathing of Jacquet, singling him out for being a leader. However, they too thought his positioning could use some work and only rated him a 4/10 for his efforts.
Ouest-France penned: "The Liverpool recruit was there wearing the number 6 shirt, but positioned as the deep anchor of the five-man defence.
"He took responsibility for the initial build-up play and played the role of a leader, exemplified by a major intervention in the 45th minute. He was drawn out of position for the second goal, but he consistently stepped up for a long time despite the circumstances."
Marseille's Gabonese forward #17 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2L) celebrates with teammate Marseille's English forward #10 Mason Greenwood after scoring his team's third goal during the French Cup round of 16 football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and Stade Rennais
Jacquet reportedly couldn't cope with Marseille's attack for their second goal(Image: Getty)
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RFI
Similarly, RFI criticised Jacquet for his role in the second goal and was quite reproving when it came to Rennes' defending as a whole, dubbing them "scrappy."
RFI wrote: "It took Marseille 75 seconds to score at the start. It took them just 31 seconds to double their lead after the restart. Gouiri found Greenwood racing through an undefended inside-right channel. The English attacker advanced into the box and slotted into the far corner.
"New Liverpool recruit Jacquet, who had been caught upfield, gestured in bewilderment at his fellow Rennes defenders. Rennes did not learn. In the 82nd minute of a scrappy match, Greenwood again found a huge space in the same area. This time he squared to substitute Aubameyang who scored."