Paris Saint-Germain will struggle to strengthen squad ahead of Champions League defence, says Owen Hargreaves | OneFootball

When trophy celebrations eventually draw to a close, PSG must brace for next season, but where can the side be improved?

Owen Hargreaves said few players could improve Paris Saint-Germain’s squad after they routed Inter Milan in the Champions League final.

PSG were relentless on Saturday night, opening the scoring through Achraf Hakimi after just 12 minutes before romping to five, the largest-ever winning margin in a Champions League final.

The question remains, though, how can they strengthen ahead of their title defence? For Hargreaves, it will be very difficult.

“Marquinhos is 31, the rest are young, brilliant players, and they are going to get better,” he said of the PSG squad. “Its going to be hard to get players to actually break into this starting 11 if they are going to recruit players.”

Many have highlighted the irony that PSG’s first Champions League title came after offloading superstars in Kylian Mbappe, Messi, and Neymar, but for Hargreaves, that shows the quality of the club’s new approach to squad building.

“Credit to Luis Enrique, credit to the sporting director, the recruitment has been absolutely fantastic. No superstars now, they get these young French boys that are hungry. Desire Doue, 19 years old. These guys are going to be the team to beat for potentially a decade.

“That was a masterclass in every phase. In possession, out of possession, work rate, effort - the manager is the architect of this.

“The blueprint is remarkable. That is one of the best final performances I’ve seen. Football is a team game, there is only one ball. The effort and sacrifice from what this team used to be to what it is now, the transformation is remarkable.”

Rio Ferdinand concurred, saying: “This is worrying times for opposition teams around Europe because this team is young, hungry, and ready.”

So too did Steven Gerrard, who foresees ‘scary’ times for other European heavyweights.

“[That was] just an absolute wonderful performance, a spectacle,” he gushed at full time. “All over the pitch, in and out of possession, it was the perfect performance.

“They have four or five players that could walk into most teams in Europe waiting to come on, waiting to play, and they are all under 23 years of age. I mean, the future of this team is so bright it’s scary.”

PSG will return to action in the Club World Cup next month, facing Atletico Madrid in their opening tie.