The football world is looking forward to the debut of Lionel Messi in French territory, after a lifetime at FC Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Argentina’s Mauricio Pochettino hinted on Saturday that Kylian Mbappé and Messi will be “safe” in the squad for Sunday’s League match against Reims, although not he specified whether they will play from the boot. The duel can be enjoyed in Colombia from 1:45 pm
Mbappé, Messi and Neymar, who trained normally, “will surely be in the squad. We will see if they are within the game of the eleven chosen for tomorrow,” Pochettino said at a pre-match press conference.
On Mbappé and Real Madrid’s attempt to sign him, he said the player “is working very well, as usual, preparing for tomorrow’s game”, and stressed: “Our president and our sporting director are make it very clear what the club ‘s position is “. Asked if Mbappé had commented to him that he would like to leave the club, the coach replied laconically: “No”.
With that, he avoided further comments or questions about Real Madrid’s offer for the French football star with less than four days left for the summer market closing.
On Messi, who could make his debut for PSG, either as a starter or as a substitute to gain a competitive edge, Pochettino said that he sees him as “very motivated” and that “he is adapting very well”. “What we are discovering about Leo is a great professional, an amazing player, needless to say, he is adapting very well to his new teammates,” he added.
He explained that the French league is more open, with more transitions than the Spanish, and is confident that “Leo can adapt to what we are going to propose in his tactical part.” “We like to dominate the games, to have the possession, that’s what he’s also used to playing,” he stressed.
On the issue of goalkeepers, with two world stars competing for the place (Costa Rican Keylor Navas – the current starter – and Italian Gigi Donnarumma), Pochettino did not comment and simply said that “all players who are in the squad have the same opportunity to play. We will see for the merits “.
He also spoke about Spanish left-back Juan Bernat, who has been out of action for eleven months after a serious ligament injury, and explained that “he still has to build his physical part”.
PSG had “a pretty real training session yesterday compared to what we are looking for in the competition and Juan was present”, he indicated, although he emphasized that after a “very serious” injury it is necessary to go “slowly” . “We are very pleased with its evolution and look forward to seeing it available soon,” he said.