Lucas Digne faces early PSG pressure after muted return to Paris

Paris Saint-Germain are already concerned about Lucas Digne’s start to life back at the club, with Luis Enrique expecting the summer signing to show greater hunger and fight for his position.

The France defender returned to PSG this summer in a €10m move, but French newspaper L’Equipe reports that his reintegration has not gone as smoothly as hoped. The club have endured disappointing results since the beginning of the season, and Digne is the one summer arrival who is causing particular concern internally.

Digne has yet to fully adapt to Enrique’s style of play. That could be considered understandable at this stage of the campaign, particularly after joining a team with demanding tactical expectations. However, PSG believe the bigger issue may be the player’s mentality rather than his ability to understand the manager’s system.

“Paris expects a different spirit from him, a more rebellious spirit,” L’Equipe reported.

A significant early warning came when Digne was left out of the starting line-up against Lille, despite the absence of Nuno Mendes. His omission was viewed as an indication that Enrique wants more from the former Barcelona player before giving him a regular place in the team.

A PSG source said: “He has to wake up. It is fine that he came here accepting the role of the second player, but he is not on holiday or semi-retired. We are not saying that this is the case, but we will not accept it. He has to fight and try to be better than Nuno because Nuno will not play every match. He has to battle; that is also part of his adaptation.”

The comments underline that Digne is not viewed as a guaranteed starter, even though PSG brought him back to provide competition and depth at left-back. Mendes remains an important option for Enrique, but the club’s message is that Digne must make the most of the opportunities available to him when they arise.

There have also been internal observations that Digne has not yet reached peak physical condition. That has been noted in comparison with some of the other players who appeared at the World Cup, although the report did not provide further details about those assessments.

People close to Digne insist that he is “extremely determined” and prepared to fight for a place in the starting XI. Even so, the player is perhaps more aware than anyone that he needs to raise his performance level quickly.

His return to PSG was expected to strengthen Enrique’s options, but the early signs suggest Digne still has work to do before he can establish himself as a dependable first-choice player.