Sergio Ramos was considered to be just days away from making his Paris Saint-Germain debut earlier this week, but it has now been revealed that he is further away than previously anticipated.
PSG takes against Angers in Ligue 1 on Friday, and it appeared that the stage was set for Ramos, the first game in France, especially given the closeness of the game to the international break. However, it appears that the Spaniard has yet to fully engage in training and will be unavailable for the Champions League matches against Angers and RB Leipzig on Tuesday.
About the Delay
On Monday, Le Parisien reported that the 35-year-old will be included in PSG’s squad for the game against Angers, but on Wednesday, the same publication reversed its position and revealed that he continues to train apart from his colleagues.
According to the French daily, Ramos will also be absent for the Leipzig match, a revelation backed up by Juanfe Sanz on El Chiringuito on Tuesday night.
“Sergio Ramos has recovered, but he will not play on Friday,” said Sanz.
“He’s got the all-clear from the medical staff, but after such a long time out, neither the player nor the coach [Mauricio Pochettino] wants to rush things.”
“It already happened once that he returned to training and had a setback in his first session. They don’t want to risk another month out for the sake of a week.”
PSG are calm
Pochettino and PSG, on the other hand, are unconcerned about the former Real Madrid captain’s condition. They don’t want to put Ramos under too much strain or force him back too soon, but they are certain that he will be fully healthy and capable of competing at a top-level before long.
It’s a question of when, not if, but the French club isn’t worried about the timing, which is why they’ve avoided putting a timeline on Ramos’ return and eventual debut.
It will happen when it happens, but no doubt everyone involved wishes it would happen sooner rather than later, particularly the player, who wants to return to the field and leave behind a bad year.