Saturday, August 29, 2015

Di Maria set for Paris Saint-Germain debut


Lauren Blanc has admitted that he cannot wait to call upon the Argentina international, who he claims has the quality and versatility to "play anywhere"

Angel Di Maria is set to make his eagerly-awaited Paris Saint-Germain debut after being included in the squad for Sunday's Ligue 1 meeting with Monaco.

The Argentina international joined the French champions from Manchester United on August 6 but was not considered for the start of the 2015-16 campaign due to his lack of a pre-season, with his participation in the Copa America having been followed by an extended break and then protracted transfer talks.

However, Di Maria is now available for selection, much to the delight of PSG boss Laurent Blanc, who feels that the former Real Madrid man will add an extra dimension to his side.

"He can play everywhere," the World Cup winner told reporters on the eve of the trip to the Stade Louis II. "He's effective in various positions.

"He's versatile, so he will be able to adapt quickly to the team. He's a player of great quality and technical ability, which allows him to rack up a lot of assists.

"However, he's also a guy capable of registering over 10 goals a season."

Di Maria's arrival appears to spell bad news for fellow winger and compatriot Ezequiel Lavezzi, who has been heavily linked with a move to Inter before the close of the transfer window.

Blanc refused to be drawn on the former Napoli man's future but did concede that the 30-year-old might not be happy now that his first-team opportunities could decrease.

"We're counting over every player but the coach can only choose 11," the ex-France international stated.

"Obviously the more players we have, the more players there are dissatisfied.

"Our summer recruitment is done but we are not against a player leaving..."

Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also in the PSG squad for the game against Monaco, after recovering from a knock sustained in pre-season.

However, Blanc says that he has yet to decide whether the Sweden striker will be thrown straight back into the starting line-up: "We'll see whether he starts or not."

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