Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele will miss the club’s second-round French league match against Lille after Luis Enrique’s coaching staff decided the player should be given time to rest.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique confirmed Dembele’s absence when responding to questions from journalists about the team selection.
The decision means Dembele will not be included in the squad for the meeting with Lille. The explanation provided by the Paris Saint-Germain head coach was that the coaching staff had chosen to allow the forward to recover and take a break.
There was no indication in the report that Dembele’s omission was linked to an injury. Instead, Enrique described it as a sporting decision made by the coaching staff ahead of the second round of the French championship.
The decision comes amid continuing media attention on Paris Saint-Germain’s team selections. Enrique said the club’s popularity means it is always under close scrutiny, with even routine decisions by the coaching staff liable to be presented in a distorted way.
His comments were made after reports and speculation surrounding the club’s line-up for the match. Earlier, French newspaper Le Parisien had suggested that Russian goalkeeper Matvey Safonov could start for Paris Saint-Germain.
Safonov’s possible inclusion added another point of interest to the selection discussion, although the report does not confirm whether he will eventually be named in the starting line-up against Lille.
Enrique’s explanation focused on the wider pressure surrounding Paris Saint-Germain rather than offering any further detail about the team’s plans. He stressed that the level of attention directed at the club can make ordinary coaching decisions appear more significant than they are.
Dembele’s absence is therefore the result of a decision by the Paris Saint-Germain coaching staff to give him a rest, according to Enrique. The forward will not feature in the squad for the Lille match, while Safonov’s potential start remains a matter previously raised by Le Parisien.
The coach’s comments provide the club’s account of why Dembele has been left out and seek to underline that selection changes at Paris Saint-Germain should not automatically be interpreted as signs of a wider issue. For the match against Lille, the focus will consequently be on how Enrique reshapes his team without the forward and whether Safonov is selected from the start.
