Kylian Mbappe is ‘yet to be at peak fitness’ for Paris Saint-Germain this season after missing the club’s pre-season summer tour as the Frenchman prepares to face Newcastle in the Champions League this week.
Despite scoring eight goals in seven games in all competitions for PSG so far, sources suggest the French superstar is still searching for his best form.
According to L’ÉquipeThe PSG striker paid the price for ‘three weeks without rhythm’ as the first team headed to Japan for their pre-season tour.
After refusing to extend his stay at the club beyond the 2023/24 season, manager Luis Enrique left the superstar at home before the season started.
The French newspaper claimed that this absence has affected the player’s ability to recover between matches – which is crucial to his ‘explosiveness’.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé reacts during their meeting with Clermont Foot 63
Newcastle United’s players celebrate during their 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday ahead of their meeting with PSG in the Champions League
Despite a 4-0 win over Marseille on September 24, PSG halted their progress on Saturday with a goalless draw against Clermont.
This comes after a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Nice on September 15.
Without the creative spark of Lionel Messi and Neymar, Mbappé is being asked to play a slightly different role than last season, delving deeper into the role of playmaker.
When you balance this with his quick runs behind the defense, it is certainly a physically demanding role for the 24-year-old.
The Paris Ligue 1 champions will nevertheless be looking forward to their clash with the Magpies at Saint James’s Park this Wednesday evening.
Newcastle will enjoy these kinds of nights under the lights, but they will be without Joelinton, who is on the injury list along with Sven Botman and Callum Wilson.
Saturday’s 2-0 win over Burnley was tinged by the sight of Joelinton forced off with a hamstring problem four minutes after coming on. He had only just returned from a knee injury.
Sven Botman and Callum Wilson were already missing with knee and hamstring problems respectively, while Anthony Gordon picked up his fifth booking of the season and is now suspended for next weekend’s trip to West Ham.
Mbappe attempts a shot during the 0-0 draw against Clermont on Saturday
According to L’Équipe, the PSG striker is paying the price for ‘three weeks without rhythm’ as the first team went to Japan for their pre-season tour