Achraf Hakimi, the 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain right-back, played only about thirty minutes against Brest this Sunday evening (Matchday 4 of Ligue 1), despite starting the game. He was forced off by what appears to be a muscle injury. He was replaced by Fabian Ruiz (a 30-year-old midfielder), with Warren Zaïre-Emery (a 20-year-old midfielder) shifting to defense to take his spot.
This is a setback for both PSG and Hakimi; he suffered an ankle injury last winter and had a heavy workload upon his return, balancing the Africa Cup of Nations with the remainder of PSG’s season. While the hope was to see him hit his stride soon, he will likely need to rest for a while. We await the results of medical tests to determine a potential return date. It would be very surprising if he were able to play next week against Marseille (Matchday 5). Following that, there is a three-week international break that could prove extremely beneficial.
