Wijanaldum: I can’t say I’m completely happy

Georginio Wijnaldum left Liverpool earlier this year after five years at Anfield but has struggled to get a play time at PSG.

Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal has admitted that he is concerned about the midfielder’s play time at PSG.

Image:Georginio Wijnaldum has made 11 appearances for PSG so far this season with five of those coming from the bench

In a recent revelation, Georginio Wijnaldum admits he is “not completely happy” at PSG and is worried over a lack of playing time.

The 30-year-old left Anfield on a free transfer earlier this summer after failing to agree a new contract with the Reds but he has struggled to make an impact under Mauricio Pochettino at the PSG, registering just six starts in all competitions since arriving in the French capital.

Wijnaldum, who captained his country at Euro 2020 earlier this summer amid the absence of Virgil van Dijk, was brought in among a raft of high-profile signings during the last transfer window, with Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Achraf Hakimi also having joined PSG.

Since he was benched for the 4-0 win over Clermont Foot on September 11, Wijnaldum has played just 92 minutes of football in Ligue 1, and ahead of the Netherlands’ World Cup Qualifier against Gibraltar on Monday, the midfielder vented his frustration with PSG over his gametime so far this season.

He told Dutch news outlet NOS: “I can’t say I’m completely happy, because the situation is not what I wanted.

“But that’s football and I’ll have to learn to deal with that. I’m a fighter. I have to stay positive and work hard to turn it around.

“I have played a lot in recent years, was always fit and also did very well. This is something different and that takes getting used to.

“I was really looking forward to the new step and then this happens. It is very difficult.”

Idrissa Gueye and Ander Herrera have been Pochettino’s preferred options in central midfield this term, and Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal revealed he is also concerned about Wijnaldum’s start to life at his new club.

He said: “Of course I’m worried. I already talked to him about that when I arrived. But the alarm bells are not going off yet.”

Wijnaldum ended his five-year association with Liverpool in June. He scored 22 times in 237 matches for the Merseyside club, playing a key role in their success under Jurgen Klopp as well as the Reds’ Champions League and Premier League triumphs in 2019 and 2020.