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Football

20th Mar 2019

Adrien Rabiot is being ‘held hostage’ at ‘cruel’ PSG, claims mother and agent

Marc Mayo

Manchester United are said to be keen on the exiled midfielder

Adrien Rabiot hasn’t played for Paris Saint-Germain for over three months and is being held in a “hostage” situation, according to the player’s mother.

PSG banished the midfielder at the end of last year amid a dispute over his contract, which expires in the summer. German coach Thomas Tuchel then claimed that Rabiot’s return to first-team training in February was not his decision.

Coming to Rabiot’s rescue is Veronique Rabiot, his mother who also serves as his agent, who had some strong words for how her son has been treated.

“Adrien is a prisoner,” she told L’Equipe. “He is a hostage at PSG. Soon it will be dry bread, water and a dungeon! This environment is cruel.

“A footballer is made to play, not to stay in the closet. Adrien has not played since December, and probably until June.

“Brought back to a professional career, six months is huge! He is taken hostage because he does not want to re-sign while he is only respecting his contract. Adrien asks only that: to respect his contract.”

Manchester United and Barcelona have been linked with the 23-year-old, who is now available to negotiate a free transfer.

Veronique maintained that she and her son are not going to let this spell on the sidelines ruin his career, which he has spent entirely at PSG after coming through their academy and debuting in 2012.

“I do not want to cry about it, or to weaken even more Adrien saying he is not good,” she said. “We are attacking the human side here.

“We are modest. I can only tell you that he feels very badly [about] everything that happens.”