Lille forward Timothy Weah admits that his duties with the United States men's national team have been most welcome during a tough season for the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
The club pulled off a huge shock in 2020-21 by beating out French giants Paris Saint-Germain to win the title.
But they are rooted in mid-table this time round, although they have enjoyed the welcome distraction of a Champions League campaign.
What has been said?
"This season has been slow, but I am taking it day after day and step by step," Weah explained to CBS Sports.
"As an attacker, you want to score or assist all the time but sometimes it just does not happen. I am going through one of those seasons of just not scoring but I will keep my morale and team spirit high.
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“Whenever I am out there, I give 100 per cent and do what I can.
“When I am with the USMNT, though, I feel a bit more comfortable, and I am in my happy space when there. It is just a learning experience and I need to keep going and fight through it."
Champions League positives for Weah
One bright spot for Lille has been their exploits in the Champions League, in which they made the knockout rounds for the first time to line up a last-16 meeting with Chelsea.
"It has not been perfect but there have been lots of positives like reaching the next round for the first time in the club's history which is great," Weah added prior to Tuesday's 2-0 first-leg defeat at the hands of the Blues.
"I felt that we played some good games against Sevilla and Salzburg. It was an interesting and great experience for me and one that I will never forget.
“I am sure that a lot of the boys will never forget the moment we made the next round. A lot of positives, some negatives, but mostly positives.
"In Ligue 1, you know what you are getting and that is aggression and physical guys.
"In the Champions League, it is about tactics and chance. UCL is super prestigious and brings a different type of energy when you hear that song go off.
“Champions League is different to league games."
