Thomas Tuchel Dismisses Adrien Rabiot PSG Return Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has dismissed speculation suggesting he wants to reintegrate out-of-favour midfielder Adrien Rabiot back into the first-team squad.

The France international has not played for the French giants since their UEFA Champions League clash with Red Star Belgrade on December 11, with the midfielder opting against signing a new contract with the club. Rabiot's deal is poised to expire in the summer, and it appears inevitable he will leave at the end of the season.

As such, PSG have decided against having him as part of the senior setup. And contrary to some recent reports, Tuchel said he's happy for that to remain the case, per Dom Farrell of Goal.

"I did not ask for Rabiot's reinstatement," the PSG boss said. "The situation is the same as in November. The club decided to suspend Adrien. I can understand the club, and I accept this decision. The situation has not changed."

Even if Rabiot, who has been long linked with Barcelona, were available and all of their players were fully fit, PSG would be short of midfield options. However, with the Frenchman marginalised and Marco Verratti injured, the team have struggled for appropriate personnel in this area recently.

While the club moved to sign Leandro Paredes form Zenit Saint Petersburg in the January transfer window, PSG have been forced to use the likes of Dani Alves, Marquinhos and Angel Di Maria as makeshift midfielders for recent Ligue 1 games.

Per Phil McNulty of BBC Sport, it appeared PSG were keen to add further reinforcements to their midfield, although they had a £26.2 million bid for Idrissa Gueye rejected by Everton. Speaking about the transfer window as a whole, Tuchel said he was underwhelmed with the business done:

Given Rabiot didn't leave the club and remains on the PSG payroll until the summer, there may be a temptation to get him back in the starting XI, especially with Verratti injured.

The exiled Frenchman can make an impression when he is on the field. Rabiot adds a physical presence, an ability to make forward surges and, when the situation demands, he is capable of calming down a game too.

These numbers sum up the kind of all-around impact Rabiot can have when he is at this best:

According to Jonathan Johnson of ESPN FC, Tuchel has made it clear to the PSG hierarchy that he wants to be able to call upon Rabiot again; Johnson thinks we may see the 23-year-old in a PSG jersey again soon too:

It must be frustrating for the manager to not to be able to call upon a fine midfielder regardless of what seems like an inevitable summer departure.

While he is still with the club, there will be a temptation to use Rabiot. PSG have enough quality to get by with disjointed midfields in Ligue 1, but if they are to make Champions League progress, you sense they will need more than makeshift options manning central areas.