Draxler 'confident' of PSG role despite Neymar and Mbappe arrivals
While Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have added clear competition at Paris Saint-Germain, Julian Draxler – a scorer for Germany – is not worried.
Julian Draxler says he is confident he has a future at Paris Saint-Germain, despite the signings of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
PSG brought in Neymar – for a world-record €222million fee – and Mbappe – on loan from Monaco ahead of a reported €180m switch – to boost their front line, leaving the futures of stars like Draxler and Angel Di Maria in doubt.
However, Germany star Draxler says that, while he realises the new signings are likely to be guaranteed starters, he believes he can still have a key role to play at PSG.
After just two substitute appearances at club level this term, he was also pleased to send a message with a goal against Norway in World Cup qualifying.
"I only played two games for a short time [on the pitch] in Paris, but I came back to training four weeks later than other players because of the Confederations Cup," Draxler told RTL. "That's something which is forgotten about in the media sometimes.
"The 90 minutes [against Norway] have been very, very important for me. I also sent a sign to Paris that they can bank on me.
"I am greatly looking forward to playing with [Neymar and Mbappe] – but, if players are bought for €222m or €180m, they have an advantage on paper.
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"But I am confident – that's why I didn't think about leaving Paris."
That's the way ...aha...aha...I like it!!! September 4, 2017
Germany coach Joachim Low was pleased with his side's 6-0 thrashing of Norway, identifying clear attacking progress from a last-ditch win at the Czech Republic on Friday.
"After the match against the Czech Republic, we wanted to bring a different spirit to the team," he added.
"Especially in the last third of the pitch, we wanted to have more options and make more runs. We had insanely good movements. The players always had two, three possibilities to play a pass."