Christophe Galtier and Marco Verratti insisted there are no problems in the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room, after fresh speculation linked Kylian Mbappe with a move away from the Ligue 1 giants.
Despite signing a new contract with PSG in May, newspaper claims from Spain in the past week suggested Mbappe wanted to get away from the Parc des Princes.
The France international, who has appeared far from content at times this season, denied after Sunday’s 1-0 win over Marseille that he has asked to leave, and said he was in fact “very happy” in Paris.
Mbappe played the full 90 minutes of the Marseille game.
Head coach Galtier, who fumed at reporters on Friday after rumours of unrest within the squad, insisted the situation was under control.
“What’s going on with Kylian? I said at a press conference that I was very honest, and I am very honest, even if some people make me look like I am not,” the head coach told Amazon Prime Video.
“Nothing happens with Kylian. Obviously, I heard Kylian and heard not his discomfort, but the fact of really being in his preferred position, and that’s also why we looked for a different system.
“But believe me that everything is going well in the dressing room. I have players who have a big character and strong personalities, but who are very great professionals.”
Midfielder Verratti concurred with the PSG boss that there was no unrest in the ranks, after the reigning Ligue 1 champions ended a run of three successive draws across all competitions thanks to Neymar’s strike in first-half stoppage time.
“Everything’s fine,” said Italy international Verratti, who became the first outfield player to appear 20 times in the Classique – a tally only bettered overall by former Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda (30).
“Sometimes in Paris, a small thing passes for a big thing, but we are used to it. We do a little abstraction, we try to be focused on the field. We play every three days, we don’t have time to think about these things.
“We knew it would be a battle [against Marseille]. It was a tough game, which comes after three draws; it was a game to win absolutely.
“We could also score a second goal. We had chances, and it would have been important not to suffer until the last minute. We managed to win, we are happy.”
Source: Livescore