Doue focusing on injury recovery after joining Bayer Leverkusen

The defender hurt a muscle in his right calf with an MRI scan confirming that he will be unavailable for a couple of weeks, and he also misses out on the West African country’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] PAMOJA Qualifiers against Ghana and Somali.

Doué says he has enjoyed watching how Leverkusen’s fans celebrate the team in their home games.

"Obviously I was frustrated at first, but unfortunately injuries are just part and parcel of sport. Those first few minutes on the pitch with the guys in Augsburg already felt brilliant. I’m getting better day by day. Now it’s all about getting fit again as quickly as possible so I can finally play in our stadium in front of our fans,” Doué said.

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“The recent home games, which I could unfortunately only watch from the stands, have made me look forward to it even more. The atmosphere and the fans’ passion were incredible! They love this club and are here to support us.”

The defender joined Ligue 1 side Rennes at the age of eight and then moved to RC Strasbourg Alsace in the 2024/25 season, followed by a move to the Bundesliga at the start of this season.

He says his French teammates assisted him in gelling well with the other teammates.

"Obviously at the start it was mainly the French guys who helped me. I actually already knew Martin [Terrier] and Loïc [Badé] before, but everyone really looked after me. It’s perfectly normal for players who speak the same language to spend a bit more time together in day-to-day life,” he added.

“That doesn’t change the fact that our team spirit is really very good. Everyone gets on with everyone else, and I’m currently learning both German and Spanish."