Marco Verratti's Imminent PSG Return Does Not Mean Adrien Rabiot Has to Make Way

After regaining the faith of many Paris Saint-Germain supporters through a string of impressive performances in recent weeks, Adrien Rabiot has gone back to being an unpopular figure at Parc des Princes.

Whistled and jeered every time he touched the ball during PSG’s 2-0 UEFA Champions League Group A win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, the 20-year-old midfielder faces an uphill task to win over the French champions’ supporters.

Les Parisiens’ fans view him as ungrateful and undeserving of his advantageous position in Paris as one of the few youth academy graduates currently enjoying regular playing time.

The reason for the PSG supporters’ anger towards Rabiot? The France under-21 international’s comments to Telefoot on French television last weekend about his current situation in the French capital and a potential January loan move, as reported by Goal’s Robin Bairner.

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I’ve asked the president for a loan move in January if my time on the field is insufficient. It’s something that he can’t refuse me—I know he likes me very much.

When you train all week, you want to be on the field. Sometimes it’s not possible and it’s frustrating.

Paris is my city. It’s great to play here. If I could impose myself here, it would be brilliant. I would be ready to play my whole career at PSG if I was a starter. I would see things differently, that’s for sure.

When I was small, I spoke about the France team like it was something incredible. I wouldn’t speak of this club or that club, but of the national team. It would be great to get into it.

We hear every day that we’re at a great club and that we earn a lot of money, but it’s not enough.

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Since Marco Verratti’s injury during the unlucky 1-0 defeat away at Real Madrid, Rabiot has been a regular in coach Laurent Blanc’s starting XI. The youngster was excellent at Santiago Bernabeu and has since built on that impressive display with a series of mature showings.

However, the Italy international is expected to return to the squad for this weekend’s clash with Olympique Lyonnais at Parc des Princes, and Rabiot may well find himself back on the substitutes’ bench as a result.

The PSG No. 25’s recent showings will have largely pleased Blanc, but Le President admitted before the 2-0 win over Shakhtar in Paris on Tuesday that Rabiot’s latest comments have not sat well with him.

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It annoys me. I don't want to say anymore and I'm going to concentrate on tomorrow's match.

Adrien has to understand that when you have the possibility of going to the end of your contract and to leave for free, you can do it.

Otherwise, when you sign a contract of five years with PSG, you have to respect your first club.I'm not going to go any further than that because otherwise I risk annoying myself.

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Blanc is not the only one bothered by Rabiot’s recent declarations. Former France international and ex-PSG coach Luis Fernandez advised the PSG youngster to “be quiet and play” and to “respect the people who employ you and who you’re working with.” 

Former France international and Chelsea player turned football pundit Franck Leboeuf also weighed in on the matter when he spoke with RMC Radio (h/t ESPN FC’s Mark Rodden).

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If I had the choice, Adrien Rabiot wouldn't have started against Donetsk. He's still at an age where he can receive lessons. At the age of 20, you have the right to talk nonsense but the elders, and especially the superiors, have the right to punish you.

When you're part of a club, you're part of a squad. To position yourself like that at the age of 20, it's a lack of respect in relation to the squad and to the club that employs you. It would be a good lesson in order to learn humility.

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Unfortunately for Blanc, Verratti and Javier Pastore were unavailable for the Shakhtar game as they continue their recovery from injury, while Thiago Motta needed a rest ahead of Sunday’s visit from Lyon.

Had either Italian or the Argentinian been in optimum condition, it is likely that Rabiot would have been dropped completely and he would already be licking his wounds.

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However, they were not, and the Frenchman was played from the start in front of a sparsely populated Parc des Princes to a chorus of jeers and whistles.

Verratti being in contention to return against Lyon means Blanc must now consider how to handle the Rabiot situation. The French tactician has already given his opinion on the matter, but now he must act.

The potential availability of Verratti is a big boost. PSG have missed the pint-sized Italian in the midfield, and his absence—along with Pastore’s—has contributed towards a lack of creativity in the French champions’ side.

Rabiot must be punished; there is no debating that. However, there is a case to argue that any punishment of the youngster should be financial and not sporting.

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Verratti’s return to fitness will give Blanc a few more options to play with in midfield and enable the 50-year-old to rotate his players a little more. This is particularly important with Motta and Blaise Matuidi.

The Italy international, while still an important member of the starting XI, can be rested more regularly and saved for the biggest games—notably in the Champions League.

Matuidi, who has been run into the ground by club and country since the start of the season, could do with a breather more often than he has been permitted so far this term in order to be at his irrepressible best almost every time he plays.

Despite his precocious behaviour, separating the off-field events from the on-field, Rabiot has proved in recent weeks that he has the quality to be playing a larger role for PSG this season—even once Verratti and Pastore return to action.

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Sanctioning the player by dropping him from the squad in upcoming matches risks strengthening his resolve to push for a move away in January and causing further trouble. It also deprives Blanc of one very useful player and one who is in good form at present.

The best action for PSG to take could be punishing Rabiot financially for his unprofessional behaviour and letting the supporters dish out some extra stick each time he takes to the Parc des Princes pitch.

It is one thing playing in front of a half-full stadium in a dead rubber of a Champions League game and getting booed, but a different one entirely when the venue is close to full capacity and the jeering is incessant.

That should be enough to teach Rabiot a valuable lesson without undoing all of the progress made with him over the past few months.

While a loan—in principle—is not a bad idea, the truth is the youngster does not need it to keep developing. He is already getting plenty of first-team football, and there are few players his age faring as well as he is at this early stage in their career with a European giant.

The PSG supporters know what it means to be a local boy playing for his hometown team, and they have had enough of Rabiot’s capricious behaviour already. They will not forget his latest declarations in a hurry, so perhaps they are the best way to punish him.

Simply replacing Rabiot with Verratti is the easiest option. During a season when Les Parisiens want to be advancing as far as possible on all fronts, Blanc needs all of his best players available to him as often as possible, and that band now includes the Frenchman.