There was skepticism when Paris Saint-Germain agreed to pay €40 million to Bayern Munich for Lucas Hernandez. Aside from being born in Marseille, the defender was coming from a severe knee injury he sustained at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
However, through the first few games of PSG’s 2022-23 season, the 27-year-old has impressed under manager Luis Enrique. Furthermore, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Johnson highlighted the Frenchman’s performance in his latest PSG Talk column.
“Despite initial skepticism upon his arrival from Bayern Munich, which owed more to his Marseille origins than anything else, the France international has been a consistent performer so far,” Johnson wrote. “Luis Enrique is using Hernández at left back while Nuno Mendes takes his time returning, and Škriniar beds in centrally, and the Portuguese’s extended absence likely means a continued run for the 27-year-old on the left.
“Having Hernández on one side with a more disciplined Achraf Hakimi on the right has given PSG more balance at the back, and a system change away from four defenders could even happen once all central defensive options are fully fit. For now, though, Hernández is doing a great job on the left without excelling, and the Parisien back line is much better for it.”
PSG needed Hernandez to transition quickly from Bayern Munich to PSG, considering they required a player to fill the left-back position with the injury to Nuno Mendes. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner will also battle with the Portugal international to keep the starting job.
Nonetheless, Hernandez seems like a steal for the price that the French side paid. Additionally, the defender doesn’t see his PSG tenure as an easy paycheck as the former Bayern Munich man wants to bring that first UEFA Champions League to Paris.
