Post by onenedkelly on Jun 1, 2006 9:29:31 GMT
Louis set one up for Henry last night, great experience for Louis Saha, hope he has a good tournament
His fine performances for Manchester United over the second half of the 2005/06 season could earn Louis Saha a more prominent role for France at the World Cup.
Saha earned his first international call-up in February 2004 following his move from Fulham to Old Trafford, scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win over Belgium.
"Louis is an exciting talent and gifted centre forward."
Sir Alex Ferguson
He grabbed his second goal in a 4-0 friendly win over Andorra, but after earning his place in the squad for Euro 2004 he saw only 33 minutes of action in Portugal, without finding the net.
His international prospects appeared to recede during a frustrating 2004/05 season, in which he scored only twice for club and country.
He began the campaign by starting in Raymond Domenech's first two matches, but he lasted only nine minutes of the 2-0 win in the Faroe Islands before suffering a leg injury which sidelined him for a month.
He returned for the friendly against Poland, only to then damage knee ligaments and a further knee injury in the summer of 2005 ruled him out of the remaining World Cup qualifiers.
However, when he got back into action for United he scored 12 goals in 18 matches to keep Ruud van Nistelrooy out of the starting line-up and cement his place in Domenech's plans.
Saha had remained uncapped while at Fulham, despite being tipped as a future French international years before.
He was a contemporary of Thierry Henry at the French Academy at Clairefontaine and scored the winning goal in the European Under-18 Championship against Portugal in 1997.
Quick and two-footed, Saha scored 22 Premiership goals in 2003-4, but his first experience of club football came on the wing with Metz.
He was used more as a substitute than a member of the starting XI there and was loaned to Newcastle in 1999, where he scored two goals in 12 games.
Newcastle decided against signing Saha, but he did move to England the following summer when his compatriot Jean Tigana paid £2.1 million to take him to Fulham.
He made an immediate impact, scoring 32 goals as Fulham won Division One. But Saha was less productive in the following two seasons as he scored 16 goals and struggled to get regular first-team football.
Tigana's successor Chris Coleman deployed the 25-year-old as a lone striker and Saha responded with 15 goals in 21 Premiership games before joining Manchester United for £12.8 million in January 2004.
Saha's progress contined with seven goals in his first nine league starts for United.
His explosive pace, aerial ability and fine form helped Saha edge his way ahead of Sidney Govou and Pegguy Luyindula for the final striking spot in Jacques Santini's squad for Portugal.
His fine performances for Manchester United over the second half of the 2005/06 season could earn Louis Saha a more prominent role for France at the World Cup.
Saha earned his first international call-up in February 2004 following his move from Fulham to Old Trafford, scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win over Belgium.
"Louis is an exciting talent and gifted centre forward."
Sir Alex Ferguson
He grabbed his second goal in a 4-0 friendly win over Andorra, but after earning his place in the squad for Euro 2004 he saw only 33 minutes of action in Portugal, without finding the net.
His international prospects appeared to recede during a frustrating 2004/05 season, in which he scored only twice for club and country.
He began the campaign by starting in Raymond Domenech's first two matches, but he lasted only nine minutes of the 2-0 win in the Faroe Islands before suffering a leg injury which sidelined him for a month.
He returned for the friendly against Poland, only to then damage knee ligaments and a further knee injury in the summer of 2005 ruled him out of the remaining World Cup qualifiers.
However, when he got back into action for United he scored 12 goals in 18 matches to keep Ruud van Nistelrooy out of the starting line-up and cement his place in Domenech's plans.
Saha had remained uncapped while at Fulham, despite being tipped as a future French international years before.
He was a contemporary of Thierry Henry at the French Academy at Clairefontaine and scored the winning goal in the European Under-18 Championship against Portugal in 1997.
Quick and two-footed, Saha scored 22 Premiership goals in 2003-4, but his first experience of club football came on the wing with Metz.
He was used more as a substitute than a member of the starting XI there and was loaned to Newcastle in 1999, where he scored two goals in 12 games.
Newcastle decided against signing Saha, but he did move to England the following summer when his compatriot Jean Tigana paid £2.1 million to take him to Fulham.
He made an immediate impact, scoring 32 goals as Fulham won Division One. But Saha was less productive in the following two seasons as he scored 16 goals and struggled to get regular first-team football.
Tigana's successor Chris Coleman deployed the 25-year-old as a lone striker and Saha responded with 15 goals in 21 Premiership games before joining Manchester United for £12.8 million in January 2004.
Saha's progress contined with seven goals in his first nine league starts for United.
His explosive pace, aerial ability and fine form helped Saha edge his way ahead of Sidney Govou and Pegguy Luyindula for the final striking spot in Jacques Santini's squad for Portugal.
