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Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has slammed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstars Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Kylian Mbappe. Agbonlahor believes the trio make the managerial position at the Parc des Princes a position "no one wants."
The 35-year-old's comments came after the Parisians confirmed that they had parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine left after 18 months in the role, having guided the side to the 2021-22 Ligue 1 title.
Pochettino's failure to win the UEFA Champions League ultimately cost him his job. The former Tottenham manager failed to get the best out of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe last season.
Agbonlahor believes the egos within PSG, including that of the trio, meant Pochettino's hiring was never going to work. He said on talkSPORT (as quoted by PSGTalk):
“To be honest, that’s a job that I feel no one wants. Really. The PSG job, the amount of egos that are there, you got Neymar, Mbappe, and Messi. It was never going to work. It didn’t work with Thomas Tuchel, who, for me, is a better manager than Mauricio Pochettino.”
Christophe Galtier has been hired by the Parisians to take over from Pochettino. Agbonlahor stated that he is worried for Galtier and elaborated:
“Honestly, I feel for Galtier because he doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself in for. Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe run that club; they run the changing room. They’re the managers. Simple as that. You can’t take one of them off because they’re going to throw a strap on the side of the pitch.”
The former Villa forward concluded:
“It’s a horrible job. Look at Thomas Tuchel. He’s left there. He’s come to Chelsea, no one’s bigger than Thomas Tuchel and he wins the Champions League.”
Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. struggled last season while Kylian Mbappe excelled for PSG
Messi struggled to acclimatize to life at the Parc des Princes following a surprise transfer last summer from Barcelona. In 34 matches across all competitions, he scored just 11 goals and registered 15 assists.
Neymar, meanwhile, spent much of the season on the treatment table. The Brazilian played just 28 times across competitions, recording 13 goals and eight assists.
Mbappe was the only member of the Parisians' famed forward line who delivered the goods last season. The 23-year-old registered 39 goals and 26 assists in 46 matches across competitions.
