Lucas 'gutted' by PSG snub

Paris (AFP) – Brazilian midfielder Lucas Moura has said he is “gutted” at being frozen out at Paris Saint-Germain, in an interview published by L’Equipe on Monday.

Lucas had been a highly-rated target for Manchester United when he opted to join PSG from Sao Paulo in 2013 but he has fallen down the pecking order in the French capital since the arrival of countryman Neymar at the start of the season.

“It’s a brutal blow. I’m gutted that I’m no longer playing, to no longer be able to express myself as I was doing before,” Lucas told the online version of the French sports newspaper.

“I’m not happy. I thought I’d built something solid with this club, but that’s clearly not the case.”

The 25-year-old said he does not know what the future holds but has one eye on Spain’s La Liga.

“With my speed and technique, I could perform well there,” he added.

“But it doesn’t matter where I end up, I know what I’m capable of. I didn’t become an international by chance.”

Lucas has played 34 times for his country but following the world record acquisition of Neymar and the loan signing of teenage French starlet Kylian Mbappe, PSG have to sell to balance the books or else fall foul of UEFA’s financial fair play rules.

Together, those two transfers will cost PSG more than 400 million euros ($490 million) once they complete Mbappe’s permanent deal from Monaco at the end of this season.

They will hope to recuperate a chunk of that from the sale of a player they bought for around 45 million euros and who helped them win four straight Ligue 1 titles.