Lyon coach Remi Garde has insisted that he has not been instructed by club officials to play midfielder Yoann Gourcuff.
The former French champions reportedly want to sell the 26-year-old after he failed to play to his potential in his three years at the club.
"We've always talked, Yoann and I," Garde told RMC. "I just let others say what they want about it.
"If Yoann opens up one day, he'll certainly have things to say. We've never lost communication completely. There are times when it's been more difficult than others, other times when it's been easier.
"There's not only Yoann in the squad. I force myself to speak to everyone. I've never been told to play him. I don't waste my energy on that."
Lyon signed Gourcuff from Bordeaux in 2010.
