Warren Zaïre-Emery reaches 39 consecutive starts as PSG’s tireless machine leads the way | OneFootball

Warren Zaïre-Emery made his 39th consecutive start in PSG’s 2-0 win over Liverpool on Wednesday, underlining his status as the club’s most used player this season.

According to L'Équipe, Luis Enrique has named the 20-year-old in every XI across competitions, initially aided by the need to cover Achraf Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz’s longer-than-expected absence. Given his level and consistency, there has been little case to leave him out.

WZE has logged 3,720 minutes, the most under Enrique this season. After the quarter-final first leg he said the key is treatment and recovery. France Under-21 coach Gérald Baticle views him as professional, consistently effective and intelligent, with the adaptability to play different roles.

Former PSG assistant Thierry Oleksiak praised his endurance, explosiveness, strength, technique and mentality, calling him a serious worker whose habits sustain him. If he ever hits a rough patch, Oleksiak said he would always back him to come again.

The second half of last season proved tougher, an ankle sprain in late January halted him and, on return, the Ruiz-Vitinha-Joao Neves trio had taken hold. Ex-youth coach Vincent Guérin felt he was pushed up too quickly, that the national-team glare and expectations weighed, and that things are now on a more rational footing.

On Wednesday he also became, at 20 years and 31 days, the youngest player to reach 40 Champions League matches. Inside the club he is likened to a Paris-Dakar car, powerful in duels, robust and built to last, a machine.

Source: L'Équipe