Paris St Germain manager Christophe Galtier said on Thursday that Lionel Messi will not participate with the team in the French Cup of football in Châteauroux in the third division, as the Argentine forward needs more time to recover after bringing his country to victory in the World Cup.
Messi, who lifted the World Cup on December 18 at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, has attended team training for the past two days, but Galtier said he needs more time to be ready to play competitively.
🎦🗣️
The observations of Christophe Galtier #PSGTv vigil #LBCPSG ⚽️
pic.twitter.com/q3LdUe46Wj– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_arab) January 5, 2023
“He had a great World Cup. He had commitments and came home to celebrate and we wanted him to recover with his family. He won’t play tomorrow, I had a discussion with him and we want him to be ready for the next match (against Angers in the French first division).
And he will miss the attacking trio from French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who lost for the first time this season, 3-1, to local runners-up Lens last Sunday.
French striker Kylian Mbappe, who lost the 2022 World Cup final with his country, rested up and traveled to New York with his friend and teammate Ashraf Hakimi, while Neymar missed training today, Thursday.
“We knew there would be absences after the World Cup, and Neymar’s absence from training was determined after evaluating all the players following their return from the World Cup,” said Galtier.
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Enjoy Leo Messi’s return to video training! ⤵️
pic.twitter.com/tIrBuVt1Jl– Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_arab) January 4, 2023
And he continued: “We have decided with the medical team that Neymar, with all his ankle problems (in Qatar), needs time, and he won’t participate tomorrow.”
However, Galtier insisted he would field a “very competitive squad”, as Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas would start in place of Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Paris Saint-Germain were eager to go on. after losing to Lens.
“There was disappointment, frustration and anger at times, but we want to come back with an important match because the cup is one of the club’s important goals. Forgetting (the defeat) quickly is the best thing to take away the frustration,” he said the coach, who won the French Cup twice while assistant at Sochaux and Olympique Lyonnais.”
Paris Saint-Germain will be without Italian midfielder Marco Verratti due to his suspension.
