Mbappe forced Di Maria out of PSG to weaken Neymar
Robin Bairner
- 19 Aug 2022 09:13 BST
- 3 min read
Kylian Mbappe forced Angel Di Maria out of PSG to weaken the position of Neymar at the club, according to a report in Brazil.
The World Cup winner has found himself in the midst of a whirlwind of negative stories over the past week following his actions during last weekend’s 5-2 victory over Montpellier at home.
During that match, he displayed a bad attitude and missed a penalty, while in the aftermath, rumours of a fallout with Neymar have increased.
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UOL Sport has added to those by suggesting that Mbappe wanted to dismantle the ‘Argentine clan’ at the club, including Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes. Fellow Spanish speakers Keylor Navas and Ander Herrera are also part of this group.
His motives behind this were simply that these players are strong supporters of Neymar in the locker room, and that by having them all in the ranks, his status was weakened.
It was this request to break up these players, it is claimed, that led to Di Maria being released in the summer, with the former Manchester United man moving to Juventus on a free transfer.
Did Mbappe really orchestrate Di Maria exit?
Even if this report is true, Mbappe’s actions would likely have been mirrored by those from new sporting director Luis Campos in any case.
PSG’s squad is known to be much too big and the majority of players listed that Mbappe wants out have simply not pulled their weight.
Di Maria was a stalwart of the Parisians for a long time – arguably their most consistent high performer – but became immediately peripheral when Lionel Messi arrived in the summer of 2021
Icardi, Paredes, Herrera and Navas have been little more than expensive substitutes in recent times, with only the goalkeeper providing any kind of meaningful value for money.
In short, these are all players that PSG clearly need to get rid of, with the exception of Messi, who has started the season by showing something like his old form.
Mbappe might have wanted Di Maria out of the club, but it was a move that would likely have happened in any case.
