Ancelotti to hand Brazilian Lucas Moura Ligue 1 PSG debut

10 January 2013 16:46

Brazilian star Lucas Moura will make his Ligue 1 debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Friday as coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed the 20-year-old will start against Ajaccio at the Parc des Princes.

"He will start," confirmed the Italian technician on Thursday.

"Physically, technically, there is no problem. Tactically he must still understand some movements for a player on the wing but these are just small things. He will get better," continued the former AC Milan and Chelsea coach.

"With him, a player will have to stay on the bench because he can play in the place of (Jeremy) Menez, (Zlatan Ibrahimovic) Ibra, (Ezequiel) Lavezzi or (Javier) Pastore. You will know on Friday who is the loser."

Lucas signed during the mid-season break for 40 million euros from Sao Paulo and is touted as one of the brightest talents in the game having already played 20 times at full international level, scoring three goals.

"There are a lot of Brazilians at PSG so it is not a problem to communicate. I think he will quickly have a good relationship with the other players," added Ancelotti who says the team are well prepared for the next stage of the season.

"The team is in good shape and we worked well in Qatar as well as here. We're ready for the second part of the season and while we might face a team against us (Ajaccio) who play it tight and play the counter-attack, I have a good feeling.

"All the players are in good physical condition and you need time with a new team but the reaction has been very good," he continued.

"The past month has shown we have a good attitude, solidarity and the right game and it's normal that people think that PSG will win the title but we can only achieve this if we show this attitude all the time and the key will be to keep the same mental approach."

Nicolas Anelka, who played under Ancelotti at Chelsea, has been training with the team this week after reportedly expressing his desire to quit Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. It remains unclear however whether he will sign with the club where he played three seasons during two spells.

"He was my player and today is a friend. I said that he could train here at the club where he was formed and at the moment he is training and we are not thinking about anything else," Ancelotti commented.

"If he asks to sign, we will think about it but I don't think it is possible even if I don't think he has problems with his club in China."

Another player rumoured to be on his way to Parc des Princes is Real Madrid's Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo although again Ancelotti remained cagey about a future deal even if the player himself has expressed interest.

"If he said that, he is responsible for his future, not me. But I am happy with the players I have and I can't talk about players who are currently with another club especially as they could be potential opponents in the Champions League."

Source: AFP