Goal

Pastore could've kept us in UCL and Draxler our best signing in years - Marco Verratti's PSG team-mates

In his latest exclusive column for Goal, the Italy international has penned a four-part series in which he pays special tribute to his colleagues

EXCLUSIVE

Dear fans, dear football lovers,

This month I wanted to do something different. We often talk about myself in this column, so let's talk about my team-mates this time. They are my buddies, with whom I spend most of my time, so I thought it important to provide a few words for each of them.

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Blaise Matuidi: "We always feel his absence"

Since I've arrived, every year the coaches do not know if Blaise will play. At the end, he is the one who plays the most. He is different from the others, less technical but very intelligent on the pitch, especially without the ball. When he is not there, we feel it. In the dressing room, he is really very important. When Unai Emery arrived, he did not know much about him. That's why he could have left, but as soon as the coach got to know him as a player and a man, he understood that he had to stay. I hope it will still be the case this summer again.

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Blaise Matuidi Marco Verratti PSG Paris Saint-Germain

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Giovani Lo Celso: "We can see the potential"

He has been very well integrated. He is close to the Latin players of the group. I can tell you that he is really good, even if he has played only one game for now. He comes from the Argentinian championship so he needs to train and discover something else tactically.

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Christopher Nkunku: "He has matured under Emery"

Another surprise for us. Right from the tour in the USA last summer, I saw that Christopher had it. He has matured under Unai Emery. We are working very hard on tactics now. He took advantage of it to take his chance.

Christopher Nkunku Lorient PSG Ligue 1 12032017

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Javier Pastore: "He could have kept us in the Champions League"

He is different from others. Unique. There are few teams that are lucky enough to have a player like him. There's not a lot of playmakers like him, maybe just Mesut Ozil at Arsenal. I love playing with him because he is just beautiful. I hope he's past his injuries because we need him. Maybe even we would still be in the Champions League with a Javier Pastore on top form. Off the pitch, our families adore each other and we often go on holiday together. If one day the destiny makes it so we no longer play together, he will remain my friend.

Javier Pastore Marco Verratti PSG Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 18012015

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Julian Draxler: "Our best signing in years"

One of the best signings Paris Saint-Germain have made over the last four years. He makes everything look easy. He had an immediate impact on the team when he arrived. He is very happy here, he loves the city. Sometimes I'm home and he sends me a text message with a photo of the Eiffel Tower taken from his terrace. This is also why he signed for PSG when he had offers from England. At the same time, you must be crazy for not loving Paris, no?