Georginio Wijnaldum time at Paris Saint-Germain appears to be over after he was left out of their pre-season tour of Japan.
The Netherlands international has failed to win over PSG supporters since completing a free transfer from Liverpool 12 months ago. He was even labelled 'Ligue 1 Flop of the Year' by a French news outlet, despite making 38 appearances for the Parisian club.
It's not the first time critics have targeted Wijnaldum. Speaking last summer, the midfielder revealed the abuse he received on social media when Liverpool lost. He even listed it as one of his reasons for leaving Jurgen Klopp's side for a new adventure at PSG.
"When it went bad, I was the player who they blamed – that I wanted to leave," said Wijnaldum last July. "On social media, if we lost, I was the one who got the blame.
"There was a moment when I was like: 'Wow. If they only knew what I was doing to stay fit and play every game.' Other players might have said: 'OK, I am not fit.' You get players in their last year who are like: ‘I’m not playing because it is a risk.’ I did the opposite."
Wijnaldum was a regular under Klopp, playing 237 games in just five seasons. He featured in every single Premier League fixture during his final season on Merseyside and is approaching 700 senior appearances for club and country, despite being just 31.
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Wijnaldum went on to say: "My feeling was that the fans in the stadium and the fans on social media were two different kinds. The fans in the stadium always supported me. Even when they came back. Already knowing that I was going to leave, they still supported me and, in the end, they gave me a great farewell."
The midfielder added: "There was a story that Liverpool made an offer, I didn’t accept because I wanted more money and the fans made it like: 'OK, he didn’t get the offer, so he doesn’t try his best to win games.' Then the results were not really good and everything looked like it was against me. Some moments, it was like: ‘Wow, me again?’ It’s a collective.
"But my teammates never gave me the feeling that I let them down or I was taking the p*** or something like that. With the team everything was fine."
Wijnaldum was targeted by critics after following a disappointing campaign for PSG. Although they regained the Ligue 1 title, they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid and failed to win the Coupe de France or Trophee des Champions.
Much more was expected of PSG and Wijnaldum has ultimately paid the price after being left out of their pre-season tour. Manager Mauricio Pochettino was also punished for PSG's failure to compete in Europe, losing his job earlier this month.
Ex-Lille boss Christophe Galtier has succeeded Pochettino. He is a three-time Ligue 1 Manager of the Year and has been tasked with securing PSG's first European Cup. Wijnaldum is unlikely to be part of Galtier's plans and may need to find a new club.
