Luis Enrique on Désiré Doué: "The Hardest Thing Is Managing the Noise Around Him"

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Luis Enrique has said that the only difficulty in managing the team's rising star Désiré Doué is keeping in check the huge expectations and intense attention that have built up around the young player.

Doué has made a blistering start to the season, catching the eye with his performances against Barcelona and Manchester City in the Champions League, and has been directly involved in 8 goals across all competitions, with 4 goals and 4 assists.

With Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sidelined through injury, the attacking burden at Ligue 1 leaders PSG has fallen on Doué's shoulders ahead of the Le Havre game. Speaking about the process of managing such a big talent, Luis Enrique said:

"For a player with his technical quality and at his age, the hardest thing is managing the noise around him. Because I know Désiré Doué perfectly, that is also the trickiest issue from my point of view. He has an incredible work ethic and a constant desire to contribute to the team.

Even when you take him off, he is smiling on the bench. He wants to help the team. He does great things on the pitch; it is a real pleasure for children and for everyone who loves football to watch him. I encourage him to keep going in the same direction and to stay both humble and ambitious, because ambition is very important. I hope he continues along this path."

Luis Enrique, meanwhile, has reached his 126th win in charge of PSG, equalling Laurent Blanc's club record. Asked about the possibility of setting a new record, the experienced coach said: "I am old enough to know what kind of noise can build up around a club. I know very well what I might hear. We have also been through difficult spells over the past three years when things got complicated. We are where we want to be right now, but this is only the beginning. We know our job will not be easy, but we have the experience of the past years."

Key players

Le Havre - Ahmed Touba With 17 interceptions in Ligue 1 this season, Touba sits at the top of the league in that category. Defensive resilience will be decisive if bottom-of-the-table Le Havre are to take a point or points from the game, and centre-back Touba will have a key role to play.

PSG - Ferran Torres Although there is pressure on Doué in the absence of the missing stars, Luis Enrique still has quality options to turn to in attack. Chief among them is Ferran Torres, PSG's top scorer this season with 4 goals in Ligue 1.

Match notes

• PSG have lost only 12% of their league meetings with Le Havre (4/34).
• Le Havre have been beaten in each of their last five Ligue 1 home games against PSG.
• Le Havre have lost 4 league games in a row, conceding 11 goals in that run for an average of 2.8 goals per game.
• PSG, on the other hand, are in superb form, having won each of their last eight matches in all competitions.