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Unai Emery calls for unity after Edinson Cavani, Javier Pastore sit out PSG win
Unai Emery called for unity in his Paris Saint-Germain side after he axed Edinson Cavani and Javier Pastore from his squad for their Coupe de France win over Rennes.
Unai Emery said Paris Saint-Germain must be united if they are to win trophies after axing Edinson Cavani and Javier Pastore for their late return from a mid-season break.
Leading goalscorer Cavani and midfielder Pastore missed Sunday’s 6-1 rout of Rennes in the Coupe de France after failing to return to training on time ahead of the clash.
Cavani, who reported in Paris late, is set to rejoin his team-mates soon, while Pastore – linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 leaders – remains absent, though he is expected to arrive in the French capital on Monday.
“Edinson started to train on Friday and we decided that to continue with the group that was there on Wednesday,” Emery said.
“We therefore worked individually with Cavani and then we will bring him back in the group little by little.
“The club told me Pastore should be here tomorrow but the most important is the group as a whole and make sure we maintain this feeling of union among the group. Because if we want to win trophies, we must have this union all together.”
Reigning champions PSG were a class above as Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria scored two goals apiece away from home to reach the round of 32.
Emery said: “The most important is to see how professional and responsible our team is.
“During the holidays we talked about everybody’s individual training in order to be performing from the very first game. I think that all the players did it and we can see it.
“They managed to maintain the level we had before the break. We wanted all the players to be ready on Wednesday.”
PSG – nine points clear of defending champions Monaco in Ligue 1 – face Amiens in Wednesday’s Coupe de la Ligue tie.
