This was news no one expected: on Friday, Luis Enrique spoke at length about a surprise announcement—the fracture of Matvey Safonov’s hand.
Injured during the penalty shootout on Wednesday night in the Intercontinental Cup final, Safonov picked up an injury whose exact origin remains unclear. The Russian goalkeeper is suffering from a “fracture of the left hand” and will be sidelined for “3 to 4 weeks” until the next assessment, according to information released by the Parisian club.
A Bizarre Injury During the Shootout
“It’s incredible, even the player doesn’t know exactly how it happened. We think it was on the third penalty, with a strange movement,” explained PSG head coach Luis Enrique. Despite the pain, the goalkeeper continued the shootout, carried by adrenaline—a reaction that left a strong impression on his coach.
Although he has not yet had the opportunity to speak directly with his player, Luis Enrique remains calm. “Everyone has to accept and deal with the negative. Some people call it karma. Negative things allow you to learn a lot,” he said, recalling that Safonov had delivered “a very big performance in his last three or four appearances.” In his view, the injury is above all a message from the body calling for rest and recovery.
Convinced of his goalkeeper’s ability to return quickly, the Spanish coach emphasized his mental strength. “Life is telling him that he needs to rest. With his mentality, he will come back faster than normal. He has great mental strength,” he said. As for the French Cup match against modest National 3 side Vendée Fontenay Foot, it is likely that third-choice goalkeeper Lucas Marin will start.
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