Desire Doue faces strong competition at Paris Saint-Germain

Desire Doue is experiencing a quieter spell at Paris Saint-Germain after an excellent start to the season.

The 21-year-old has been left on the bench twice within a few days, while his brief appearance against Brest produced little attacking influence.

Doué watched the entire 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava from the substitutes’ bench before entering in the 66th minute during PSG’s 1-0 win at Brest. He touched the ball 25 times but struggled to unsettle the hosts’ defence, a contrast to his earlier impact.

The French international opened the campaign with a goal and assist against Aston Villa in the European Super Cup. His recent dip is not considered a physical or technical concern, but it has temporarily pushed him down a fiercely competitive attacking hierarchy.

Ferran Torres has changed the picture dramatically. The Spanish forward has scored six goals in his first five matches, matching Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s record start at PSG in 2012. After scoring a hat-trick against Slovan, Torres also delivered the winner at Brest.

Doué currently appears behind Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Torres. Nevertheless, Luis Enrique does not want fixed labels, while PSG continue to trust Doue and reportedly view a contract extension as an important future priority.