|
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has revealed his "happiness" with the French champions and confirmed his desire to stay with the capital club. The Brazil international, who won Olympic gold with his country earlier this summer in Rio de Janeiro, has become a regular member of the starting XI under new coach Unai Emery, but the 22-year-old admitted there "was a lengthy process of reflection" at the end of last season. "However, after conversations with my family and PSG, who once again demonstrated their absolute confidence in my future, my work, my qualities, I was happy to stay in Paris and I am happy here," Marquinhos told RMC Sport. "A contract extension? Of course! "If things continue like this and I still feel happy here, of course there is a desire to prolong my stay. We will see." Marquinhos was absent for the first few weeks of the competitive season on Olympic duty and made his first appearance of the campaign in the 1-1 draw at home to Saint-Etienne. Since then, the Ligue 1 giants have steadily improved and they are now looking to make it three consecutive league wins away at Toulouse on Friday. The biggest issue for Emery at present is Hatem Ben Arfa, who he has dropped from his squads to face Arsenal, Caen and Dijon because of the player's lack of effort in training. Marquinhos stated his belief that the France international "can make the difference in a match" because of his "different qualities" and expressed his will to help his teammate work his way back into the squad. "[Ben Arfa] works well in training," Marquinhos said. "It [Ben Arfa's absence] is Unai's decision. It is up to us to understand it. "Everyone knows what [Ben Arfa] is capable of and he has already proved himself. He can do the same thing here. We will speak with him and try to help him get back to his best form and confidence, so he can replicate his performances with Nice last season." Despite PSG's recent good results and Edinson Cavani's return to something close to his prolific former self, Marquinhos conceded that ex-talisman and now Manchester United player Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still missed at Parc des Princes. "It is true that he was someone important for the club, for the team," Marquinhos confirmed. "He was very successful with us during his years here. Personally, I grew a lot during training and matches with him. "When he gave advice, it was great. I have benefitted from moments with him in the past. However, that is football. Things move quickly. There are cycles and we have changed. He helped everyone and he did a lot to help the club develop." Marquinhos has established himself as Emery's preferred central defensive partner for captain Thiago Silva and PSG are expected to put a five-year contract extension offer on the table in the coming weeks.
|
