If there is one thing that cannot be taken away from Lucas Hernandez, it is his fighting spirit. A year and a half after his cruciate ligament rupture during his first match of the 2022 World Cup with France, the defender, now 28 years old, experienced the same mishap in May 2024, during the semi-final first leg of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. Two huge injuries which did not make the Marseille native give up.
Since November 19, Hernandez has also resumed collective training with PSG. A recovery interrupted by gastrointestinal problems, before a return on December 5 and a first call-up to the Parisian group for the Champions League match against Salzburg. A meeting in which the Frenchman participated, playing 7 minutes after replacing Nuno Mendes. Excellent news for the person concerned, but also for Luis Enrique who finds a strong element in his defensive sector. However, if a club like PSG must have good bench depth, Hernandez’s return to competition will necessarily be closely scrutinized. In short: will the former Bayern Munich resident quickly regain his starting status within the Ile-de-France rearguard?
Pacho, a strong competitor for the left axis
Regarding the axis of defense, the question deserves to be asked, because since last summer, a certain Willian Pacho has made a strong impression within the capital club. Arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt in exchange for €40 million, the Ecuadorian was elected among the top players in the 2024 Ligue 1 summer transfer window. Strong in duels, excellent in anticipation and good in restarts, Pacho had was promoted to the starting lineup by Luis Enrique, during the pre-season match against RB Leipzig, just a few days after his arrival. Since then, the Spaniard has hardly taken it out, except when he has to rotate.
Will Lucas Hernandez have a say if he manages to regain his level? Will Luis Enrique take the risk of stopping the Ecuadorian in his tracks? The next few weeks will bring us their answers, but one thing is certain: this season, he is forced to face a major competitor that he did not necessarily have last year when he passed Milan Skriniar, Lucas Beraldo and Danilo Pereira. There is always the possibility of moving him to the left-back position. And on this side, the Frenchman perhaps has a better chance of finding a starting place. As a reminder, Hernandez played in this position for a large part of last season due to the long unavailability of Nuno Mendes (absent from May 2023 to February 2024).
Nuno Mendes has reason to worry
And unlike Beraldo, the number 21 of the Rouge et Bleu offered rather solid performances. In addition, even if he is no longer the impassable left-back of the 2018 world champions Blues, Hernandez has the profile of a more defensive solution. Which is not to displease Luis Enrique. Many observers have noticed that the Spaniard greatly restricts the very offensive Nuno Mendes in his climbs, to the great displeasure of Bradley Barcola. With Hernandez holding this position, the Parisian coach is assured of not having to deal with too many defensive withdrawal concerns. On the other hand, this solution could make PSG a little more dependent on its right side for offensive animation. Which option will Luis Enrique choose? This Saturday, the Parisian coach did not reveal it, but he mentioned the case of the French international, whose return he is delighted with.
“Lucas’ case is an atypical case. Normally, when a player has been out for 7 months and comes back, he is behind physically. But I have only seen one case like his, where in one week, he was at the physical level, even sometimes superior to certain players who are nevertheless doing very well. We can’t give him 90 minutes straight away, we have to bring him into the competition little by little, but in Salzburg, it was a perfect moment in terms of the result and the context. And Lucas really wants to play, he has an excellent attitude. When you see that, it’s wonderful.”confided the Asturian at a press conference on the eve of the OL reception (8:45 p.m.). Enough to reassure the person concerned, who will inevitably appreciate the compliment, especially after such a long absence.
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