PARIS (Reuters) – Paris St Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, whose contract expires on the finish of the season, could captain the workforce once they journey to Clermont in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
The France ahead, who stayed at PSG this season regardless of a number of affords from Real Madrid, has been in scintillating kind lately, each for membership and nation, and his affect has been rising exponentially this 12 months.
The 23-year-old is second within the Ligue 1 scoring chart with 17 targets this season, one behind Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, however has additionally made the best variety of assists (13).
“He is a transparent instance of how after we arrived (15 months in the past) his kind wasn’t as everybody anticipated however due to his laborious work, dedication and confidence he has turned the state of affairs round,” coach Mauricio Pochettino informed a information convention on Friday.
“We simply gave him the platform and the house to develop and enhance.”
Mbappe scored each targets in PSG’s 3-2 combination defeat to Real Madrid within the Champions League final 16, however it was not sufficient because the workforce conceded three targets within the house of 16 minutes on the Santiago Bernabeu to endure one other embarrassing exit.
Pochettino nonetheless believes PSG had been the higher aspect, saying they “had been higher more often than not throughout each legs”, however consideration has turned in the direction of wrapping up one other Ligue 1 title and excited about Mbappe’s future.
In the absence of Marquinhos, who’s affected by muscle issues, Mbappe is a potential captain because the Qatar-backed membership appears to be like to safe a contract extension.
Asked what the membership could supply Mbappe to remain, Pochettino mentioned: “When he’s right here you possibly can ask him and he’ll give a greater reply.
“We need the most effective for the membership and the most effective for Kylian and we predict the most effective for all events is that he stays with us. There are negotiations that have to serve all events to succeed in an settlement.”
On Saturday, nonetheless, Mbappe could be handed the skipper’s armband.
“It is feasible. He is amongst those that are thought of,” mentioned Pochettino.
PSG lead the Ligue 1 standings with 68 factors from 30 video games, with Clermont sitting in seventeenth place, 40 factors behind.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Toby Davis)
