Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi hasn’t been what the capital club wanted him to be when they purchased him from Inter Milan.
The 28-year-old was initially brought in to be the replacement for Edinson Cavani; however, now he’s the backup to Kylian Mbappé. Nonetheless, the Argentine hasn’t scored goals when given minutes.
As a result, former PSG striker Mickaël Madar spoke to Le Parisien (via Paris Fans) is worried about the situation with Icardi calling out the poor positioning he sees from the goal-scorer.
“It’s super worrying. It is alarming. I have the impression that it is no longer the same player. It is often served as the last resort. For the rest, it is often poorly positioned. He is not stingy with effort, but you have the impression that he is always against the current and never where it should be,” Madar said.
Despite the criticism, Madar doesn’t put the entire blame on Icardi’s struggles on him. Icardi is fifth on the scoring reliance wheel, but when PSG paid a significant fee, Madar suggested that the Argentine should’ve been given a more substantial role.
“Icardi has been playing again since Neymar was injured, but if I were the coach, I wouldn’t insist because it’s a weight. He has opportunities, but he doesn’t take them,” Madar said.
“At the same time, he knows he is the fifth wheel of the offensive coach. He signed for 50 million, he earns 10 million a year, and he doesn’t play. It’s sad to see him like this.”
Icardi was linked to possible departure with Juventus being one of the interested clubs during the January transfer window. Still, no move occurred as the striker remained with the French giants.