Hugo Ekitike has been accused of being unprofessional since joining Paris Saint-Germain after Newcastle United's failed transfer pursuit this summer. The Reims loanee has only played in 64 minutes across five games for the French giants this term after snubbing a move to the Magpies during the summer.
Ekitike has only been introduced off the bench in Ligue 1 and PSG boss Christophe Galtier insists the 20-year-old will enjoy more game time 'soon'. However, former PSG star Eric Rabesandratana has taken a different view, slamming the winger for his start to life in Paris.
Speaking to France Bleu Paris, the former defensive midfielder says Ekitike has 'mental weaknesses', isn't focused on football and is half-bothering with training due to his lack of game time.
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“I’m not convinced by Hugo Ekitike because he has shown mental weaknesses. He’s young, but I find that, behaviour wise, he doesn’t correspond at all to what you expect from him as a young person, and especially as a player who should impose him at PSG over the years," he said.
“We need players who are focused on football, and I’m not sure that moaning every two seconds, half-bothering to do the exercises, because it bores him and he’d rather play games, is enough. No, you have to show a perfect state of mind to be considered by the manager. For the moment, I find that he is not yet professional. He’s more of a kid than a professional. He must grow.”
Eddie Howe has made no secret of the fact he wanted to sign Ekitike over the summer but has also repeatedly insisted he will only bring players to Newcastle if they have the correct personality. As the end of the transfer window grew closer, the Magpies boss refused to buy players for the sake of it and instead prioritised the 'right' type of characters.
Rabesandratana's wild accusations of PSG's newest attacker may be an indication Newcastle dodged a bullet when missing out on Ekitike just a few months ago.
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