Luis Enrique keen to develop young talent at PSG

Luis Enrique intends to develop the young talent at Paris Saint-Germain rather than dipping into the transfer market ahead of their Coupe de France clash with Lens.

Despite the departures of Kylian Mbappe, Manuel Ugarte and Danilo Pereira last season, PSG sit 10 points clear at the summit of the Ligue 1 standings after 16 games.

They added Joao Neves, Desire Doue, William Pacho and Matvey Safonov to their ranks, while the likes of Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery have starred this term.

Having splashed the cash in recent years on transfers involving Neymar and Lionel Messi, PSG are now reaping the rewards for trusting their academy graduates.

“What gift do I hope for at Christmas? I am very happy with the squad. The best approach during every transfer window is to stay attentive,” Luis Enrique said.

“It’s difficult to improve our squad. We want to develop our young talents. As far as the market is concerned, we’ve got a very good team.

“Last year, we made more than 10 transfers. There’s no urgency or need at the moment.

“If there’s an opportunity to improve the squad, then great, but we already have a very strong team.”

PSG will start the defence of their Coupe de France title at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis this weekend against Lens, who sit seventh in the table.

The Parisiens have won the trophy a record 15 times, including four in a row between 2015 and 2018.

And despite their impressive start in the league, Luis Enrique’s side have struggled in Europe, currently finding themselves 25th in the Champions League table.

Their next fixtures in the competition see them take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side and Stuttgart to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

“From January onwards, we will continue in all competitions, it will be very demanding,” Luis Enrique said.

“I like that the players are able to rest a bit. It’s all about disconnecting now to be able to work as best as possible for the second half of the season.”