PSG’s Luis Enrique makes Senny Mayulu pay for below-par training week

Luis Enrique left Senny Mayulu out of Paris Saint-Germain’s squad for their Ligue 1 meeting with Rennes after judging the young midfielder’s training standards to have fallen below those of his team-mates.

The decision came before Sunday evening’s opening-round fixture, in which Paris Saint-Germain recovered from two goals down to claim a valuable draw. New signing Ferran Torres made a decisive impact after coming on at the start of the second half, scoring twice to bring the visitors level.

Mayulu’s omission attracted particular attention because he was neither injured nor ill. The 20-year-old had featured in Paris Saint-Germain’s previous two matches, against Lens in the French Super Cup and Aston Villa in the European Super Cup, but was not included in Enrique’s squad for the trip to Rennes.

According to Foot Mercato, citing French newspaper L’Equipe, Mayulu was excluded as a disciplinary measure after a week of training that was considered inferior to the work produced by his team-mates.

The decision underlined Enrique’s insistence that no individual is more important than the team. The Spanish manager also made a major half-time change during the match itself, replacing star forwards Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Paris Saint-Germain had been trailing by two goals before Enrique introduced Torres, and the substitute responded with a pair of goals to rescue a point. The changes to Dembele and Kvaratskhelia, combined with Mayulu’s absence from the squad, highlighted the standards the manager expects from every member of his group.

Mayulu’s exclusion was therefore seen as more than a routine selection decision. His recent involvement in the French Super Cup and European Super Cup had suggested that he remained part of Enrique’s plans, yet his place was taken away after a training week that failed to meet the manager’s expectations.

The situation also provided a clear example of Enrique’s approach to squad discipline at Paris Saint-Germain. Rather than protect established names or overlook a dip in performance, he showed that selection would be based on the level delivered in training.

The draw at Rennes ultimately softened the effect of the team’s difficult start to the match. Paris Saint-Germain had faced the prospect of beginning the new Ligue 1 campaign with defeat, but Torres’ second-half intervention secured a point.

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