Will Paris Saint-Germain learn to use their academy? They should start with these youngsters!

Paris Saint-Germain is known not only for its eminently prolific academy, but also for all the world-class players they have nurtured and let get away. Under the stewardship of Christopher Galtier with Luís Campos as strategic advisor, there are expectations that PSG will start looking inside the club for reinforcements and capitalise on their near monopoly on producing footballers in Paris. They should start with these three youngsters.

Edouard Michut

Now 19-years-old, Edouard Michut has been in the Paris Saint-Germain structures since he was 13. Currently on the borderline between the U19 and first team, Michut has made his mark as an offensive midfielder in the Champions League, among others.

Last season, he helped his PSG side to reach the quarter-finals alongside Xavi Simons or Ayman Kari, another player on this list, where they fell to the subsequent beaten finalists Red Bull Salzburg with Czech goalkeeper Adam Stejskal in goal.

In total, Michut has 2 goals in 8 games in the Junior Champions League. He has also made his mark in Ligue 1, where in the few dozen minutes he has been given so far, he assisted Thilo Kehrer’s equalising goal against Lyon earlier this calendar year.

With strong competition at the offensive midfielder position, Michut must hope that coach Galtier will favour young players over thirty-somethings who, even at their age, have spent part of their careers with PSG after guest spells away from their home club.

Ayman Kari

Michuta’s U19 teammate who has also been with his side’s Champions League youth tour as a regular mainstay in the starting lineup, Ayman Kari is still only a 17-year-old defensive midfielder. A France youth international since last November, hitting three games for the French U18s, Kari is also being kept in the PSG first team squad.

However, despite his age, he will probably have to wait a while to get his chances, gaining experience with PSG B and U19. Still, looking at the Parisian big club’s midfield, it is possible to see a pathway for this youngster to the first team.

The only two midfielders under the age of 28, Sanches and Vitinha, have been signed by Paris Saint-Germain this summer and with speculation surrounding Leandro Paredes and Idrissa Gueye, only the foursome of Herrera, Rafinha, Verratti and Pereira have claimed the post.

That might still seem like strong competition, but Pereira is also starting at stopper, Rafinha has never settled in the first team and Herrera is 33. It is therefore possible that Galtier will gradually hand over minutes from the retiring and ageing midfielders to Karius.

El Chadaille Bitshiabu

Paris Saint-Germain’s academy is known for the strikers who have come through it. But once in a while, they also nurture a talented defender. Just think of Kimpembe, Real Madrid’s Mendy, or most recently Tanguy Nianzou. El Chadaille Bitshiabu would love to join that company.

Already at the age of 17, the almost 2m tall central defender, Bitshiabu has already played 7 games for the U17 French national team. He has played about 400 minutes himself in the Junior Champions League and has also started to pick up minutes in the fifth division of the French football pyramid with PSG’s B team. Moreover, even at his young age, he has already managed to add three appearances off the bench for the A team in the domestic cup and league.

If Paris Saint-Germain are pushing the boot at any position, it’s at stopper. Galtier, meanwhile, prefers a three-man defence and has to make do with the foursome of Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Diallo and Ramos. Of course, Pereira or new arrival Mukiele can help out at stopper, yet Bitshiabu could hope for some of those opportunities alongside his star teammates.

Source: Ligue 1