Ousmane Dembele has been left out of the Paris Saint-Germain squad to face Arsenal in the Champions League by manager Luis Enrique.
The France international has scored four times in six Ligue 1 matches for PSG this season but has not travelled to London.
It was reported in the French media that Dembele had a disagreement with Enrique after being replaced in PSG’s 3-1 win against Rennes on Friday night.
Enrique said: “If someone doesn’t comply or respect the expectations of the team, it means they are not prepared to play.
“The match is very important and I want all my players to be ready, so as a consequence I have left him (Dembele) out. I want the best for my team and that is my job.”
‘I am not going to create a soap opera’
Dembele, 27, has scored 10 goals for PSG since joining from Barcelona just over a year ago. He is the most experienced part of Enrique’s attack since Kylian Mbappe left to join Real Madrid and Enrique said he could yet feature for the team again.
🎙️ Luis Enrique: "Arsenal are one of the best teams in Europe, with a very clear identity."#ARSPSG I #PSGLive pic.twitter.com/EVA2sVZDoE
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 30, 2024
“These circumstances are difficult and you have to take difficult decisions,” he said. “But I am 100 per cent engaged with my decision, and 100 per cent sure of the decision I have made.
“It doesn’t mean this is irreversible, but I took the best decision for the team and that is why I signed here, to create a team that has a strong identity and has a lot of character.
“I was also hired to win titles. I cannot guarantee that. But I can guarantee the rest, which is playing with a strong identity. The day I cannot do this I will go home.
“I have the support of the club’s president and the sporting director. I am here to create a team and in the future that might include Ousmane Dembele, just to be clear.”
Asked to explain the altercation with Dembele, Enrique replied: “I am very honest and I will be honest, but I am not going to create a soap opera out of this.
“There are no problems between us. That is completely false. This is simply about the responsibilities of the player.”
PSG have never won the Champions League, reaching the final in 2020 where they lost to Bayern Munich.
