PSG identify 21-year-old defender as cover for Sergio Ramos: Reports
According to Media Foot, as reported by El Nacional, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) sporting director Luis Campos is looking for a cover for center-back Sergio Ramos.
Fans of the French club were excited to see the former Real Madrid captain arrive last summer. However, his campaign was heavily injury-plagued as the veteran defender was out for a total of 187 days, missing 33 games in total.
That said, the player has managed to successfully recover from those woes and has made a return to the Parisians' starting XI, playing ten games so far this season.
Paris Saint-Germain, however, want to have a replacement ready in case the former Spain captain is unavailable again. They were ready to splash the cash on Inter Milan's Slovakian defender Milan Skriniar. However, that move never materialized.
It is understood that the French club have shifted their attention to a much cheaper and younger option in Uruguayan defender Manuel Ugarte.
The 21-year-old came through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon. PSG already have Nuno Mendes in their side from the same academy.
Ugarte has made 47 appearances for Sporting CP in his career. He has been a regular player for the club this season, and has already made nine appearances.
Spain coach Luis Enrique reacts to PSG star Sergio Ramos' absence from the team
Sergio Ramos is a legend for the Spanish national team. He has made 180 appearances for La Roja.
However, the former Spanish captain hasn't featured for his national team since coming on as a late substitute against Kosovo on March 31, 2021.
The end of his time at Real Madrid was affected by injuries. He made very few appearances for PSG in his first season at the club. However, the former Real Madrid captain has found his fitness back and is playing regular football.
That said, it wasn't enough to convince national team coach Luis Enrique to give him a call-up. Here's what he said about Ramos (via COPE):
"It is great news to see Sergio Ramos on the field again. He is competing regularly every three days. However, I consider that the best ones are the ones I have summoned and the rest is white smoke.”