Lucas Hernandez’s Actions Begin to Frustrate Luis Enrique

The knee setback for Nuno Mendes is unfortunate for PSG. The Portuguese player will miss tonight’s match against Monaco, and the medical team will need to be cautious with him. His early exit against Tottenham allowed Lucas Hernandez to gain some playing time. However, the World Cup champion also could not finish the match, receiving a red card for an elbow to Xavi Simons during added time. He is expected to start today in Monaco at 5 PM IST, but Luis Enrique will need to devise a new strategy for the upcoming Champions League match if Mendes isn’t fit yet.

“No one likes this; it’s not the first time, and it’s strange because it’s not normal. We need to talk about it. There was no intent. I know him very well, but he needs to learn to control himself,” said the coach after the match. He referred to Hernandez’s red card in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup against Bayern Munich, his former team. It was for a similar reason—an elbow on Raphael Guerreiro during added time. Prior to this summer, the Frenchman had only received one red card in his career, dating back to the 2017/2018 season with Atlético. This raises questions.

Luis Enrique is Not Impressed

Luis Enrique provided further comments on the issue yesterday at a press conference. “This is the beauty of football; you can have experience, but these actions must be managed in less than a second. I spoke with Lucas Hernandez; he is important in the team, he has experience, and all the players appreciate him. He needs to change this, but he knows it,” he cautioned. The coaching staff is surprised by the reactions of the 29-year-old player. Despite having vast experience in his career, he still shows moments of rashness, which are particularly unacceptable now with the introduction of VAR.

According to Le Parisien, Luis Enrique is concerned about the former Bayern player. He is unhappy with the lack of discipline and questions Hernandez’s reliability. “We need to help him realize the mistake he made,” a source told the media. While Hernandez has always been seen as a tough but fair player, he should not be viewed as dangerous enough to get sent off for a moment of poor judgment. With Mendes injured, he now has the chance to redeem himself and prove that PSG can rely on him. He is under contract until 2028, although reports suggest he is not always satisfied with his role as a substitute.