Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he is yet to decide on whether new-signing Lionel Messi will feature when his side takes on Brest in a Ligue 1 game on Friday.
The Argentine superstar teamed up with the Parisians in August on a free transfer after leaving Spanish giants Barcelona, where he spent the major part of his career and won several laurels, including six Ballon d’Or titles, 10 La Liga and four Champions League trophies.
Messi left Camp Nou for life in France after the club president Joan Laporta revealed Barcelona could no longer afford to pay his salary.
Mauricio Pochettino to Decide on Messi Debut
Messi Debut Yet to Be Decided
PSG fans are already looking forward to the debut of the 34-year-old and Pochettino has explained he would check the fitness level of the Argentina legend before deciding if he would be involved at Stade Francis-Le Ble, given that Messi has not played a competitive game for about a month.
“We haven’t decided the squad yet and we will assess whether Messi can be a part of it,” Pochettino said in a press conference.
“Everything is positive. There is a good atmosphere in the squad and he has settled in well and quickly. There is a very good feeling.”
Besides Messi, PSG also secured the signatures of Georginio Wijnaldum, Jonathan Mutombo Mawesi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Thierno Balde among others and Pochettino has revealed his delight with the new arrivals.
“It’s not hard to fit in the new guys, who are some of the best players in the world and have a lot of talent. The connection is really fast,” he continued.
“Football is one language. You need to be organised, when you have the ball and when you don’t. But it’s not difficult, you have to have the desire and it happens naturally. Today, I saw a great connection in training, a desire to do things together. The challenge now is to do it in matches.”
Messi Leaves Awards in Barcelona Dressing Room
Meanwhile, Messi has left some of his awards in Barcelona while his number and name have been removed from the club’s dressing room, according to AS.
“He (Messi) could not take all the objects that he still had inside as some were bulkier than others. Among the items, he had to leave behind was the award he received for being the best player of the 2018 Joan Gamper Trophy match. He received the star-shaped award after scoring a goal and giving an assist in the 45 minutes he played in that game against Boca Juniors, which ended 3-0.”
Messi is regarded as one of the best footballers in history and won a total of 45 trophies during his stay in Barcelona.
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