Luis Enrique was in no mood to discuss the futures of Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye – who have been linked to Liverpool – after the pair were left out of the squad in the Trophee des Champions
PSG boss Luis Enrique dodged questions about the future of Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye – who were both absent for the Trophée des Champions on Sunday.
The Parisian giants fell short of a securing a second trophy in five days, with the underdogs stunning Enrique’s side at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. However, more notable for Liverpool fans, was the absence of Barcola – who has been linked with a £145m to the Reds.
Liverpool have also been linked with a £40m deal for Mbaye and the Reds are eager to secure both wingers in separate deals. This week, PSG have added Ferran Torres and Mika Godts to bolster their attacking options, pushing Barcola and Mbaye further down the hierarchy.
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However, even with their two new recruits not ready to face Lens, neither Barcola nor Mbaye were involved. In his post-match press conference, Enrique was questioned about the decision and gave a curt response.
“Thank you, goodbye,” the PSG boss retorted before exiting the media room, reports the Mirror. Enrique was far from pleased after witnessing his team struggle against Lens, who won the Coupe de France last season to set up a showdown with Ligue 1 champions PSG.
Florian Thauvin netted just after the half-hour mark before Lens were reduced to 10 men before half-time. Kyllian Antonio received his marching orders following a late studs-up tackle on Maghnes Akliouche, another attacker PSG have recently acquired.
The home side were reduced to 10 men from the 39th minute but managed to stay resolute until numbers were evened up. PSG also had a player dismissed in the dying moments, as Nuno Mendes was shown red for catching Michal Skoras with an elbow.
Lens succeeded in securing the victory and stunned the Champions League winners. Barcola and Mbaye’s destinies will now come under scrutiny as the transfer window approaches its final fortnight.
On Saturday, Enrique emphasised that when a player lacks contentment at the Parc des Princes, a ‘solution’ must be discovered. “We are a very young, very ambitious team,” the Spaniard declared.
“It is important for us to make changes and look for players who enjoy playing our way and who love playing for PSG. That is very clear to us. When a player doesn’t want to come here, or doesn’t have a smile on their face about being here, it is better to find another solution.”