Montaño still looking for his form

"I’m having quite a difficult year. » Victor Hugo Montaño is not looking for excuses. In 18 games played in Ligue 1, the striker arrived from Montpellier last summer has scored four goals (including a penalty) and given three assists. Not enough. Lucid, the 26 y/o Colombian is trying to assess what is wrong. “I try to ask myself the right questions, he explains in spotless French. “I look at videos of my games, and I know it isn’t the same Montaño. It’s up to me to go through this. I work hard, I’m trying to recover my level.”

Two injuries at the worst time

Victor Hugo Montaño had quickly become an essential member of the team after the departures of Asamoah Gyan and Ismaël Bangoura. But the only real centre forward in the squad didn’t spare his effort, until he picked up an injury against Toulouse, on October 3rd. He would only return to competitive football a month later. At the beginning of January, the former Montpellier striker scored a brace in the Coupe de France against Cannes, before being substituted at the 34th minute after another injury. “These two injuries have stopped me. (…) It did irritate me a bit, as I never used to get injured like that before”, he regrets. The latest injury eve cost him a first cap with Colombia. The Cali-born hasn’t recovered sufficiently to the taste of his national coach to be included in the squad to face Spain last Wednesday.

"Reach another level"

"Maybe this is an adaptation issue », he then asked himself. From Montpellier to Rennes, indeed, something changed in the playing style. The spaces devouring forward at ease in a counter-attacking team his now facing much more compact defences. “Sometimes, the opponents really refuse the play. These are issues we can resolve as a team, and I need to reach another level. It’s up to me to find solutions.”
Today, the issue is not physical anymore. « I feel good, I was lacking the rythm of the competition. The game against Reims really helped me, I felt better against Paris. I hope I will recover some efficiency against Nice, as once I recover it, it will be much better for me and for the team.” I may only need “a little something to click”. “But this is something I’ve got to find by myself”, he announces with conviction.
Victor Hugo Montaño is, since January, in competition with Razak Boukari and John Verhoek. He accepts this new deal: “It’s good that there are new forwards. I can take a breather and the others can show what they are able to do. We all have to fight for our place. I find it normal within a team.”

Nicolas Auffray - Le Mensuel de Rennes
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