Luis Enrique defends Dembélé's rest and rules out any disciplinary action

Luis Enrique addressed the media on Thursday to justify Ousmane Dembélé’s rest, announced by PSG two days after the Rennes match that opened Ligue 1. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner will not travel to Lille on Friday evening.

The Paris coach had substituted Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at half-time during the defeat at Rennes, raising questions about a possible disciplinary measure. Luis Enrique dismissed that interpretation: “I am a great admirer of Dembélé. For us, he is an essential player, a very high-level player. He made a huge effort this summer during his holidays to play in the European Super Cup. He is and will be an essential player for us. He made a good decision this week.”

The Spanish coach recalled that this workload management is not new at the club: “Last year there was this too where we gave recovery time to players. That was the case with Dembélé, Hakimi or Mbappé over the last three years.” He also mentioned the constraints linked to international calendars: “I am always open to giving rest time to players who returned with fewer days off because they played in the World Cup.”

Facing the media “noise” generated by the decision, Luis Enrique maintained his stance: “Every time you make a difficult decision, there is noise around PSG, but nothing happens the way you think. My players are used to the way I manage this.” He clarified that other players could benefit from similar rest periods throughout the season.

According to the club’s statement, Dembélé will return to group training on Monday.