New Paris Saint-Germain recruit Lucas Hernandez said Tuesday his team are still adapting to new coach Luis Enrique, shaking off their failure to win a single game on their pre-season tour of Japan.
The French champions lost 2-1 to Inter Milan in Tokyo, after drawing 0-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and losing 3-2 to J-League side Cerezo Osaka last week.
The tour has been overshadowed by the omission of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe, who was left out of the squad on the eve of their departure, casting doubt on his PSG future.
Hernandez, who joined from Bayern Munich this summer, said the team are still finding their feet under Enrique.
“We’re not worried,” said the 2018 World Cup winner.
“It’s true that in football the most important thing is the result, but we know that at the moment we’re adapting to a new coach who asks a lot of us.”
PSG took the lead through Vitinha early in the second half but two goals in the last 10 minutes from Inter’s Sebastiano Esposito and Stefano Sensi gave the Champions League runners-up the win.
“We played well in the first half and started the second half well, but after that we have to be solid and try to maintain the result, because in the end that’s the most important thing,” said Hernandez.
Neymar was among PSG’s substitutes but did not come off the bench.
The Brazilian has not played since he injured his right ankle in February and underwent surgery the following month.
Hernandez started the match alongside fellow new PSG signings Manuel Ugarte, Milan Skriniar and Marco Asensio.
Hernandez ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the ninth minute of France’s opening World Cup match against Australia in Qatar in November.
He said he was returning to full fitness “little by little”.
“My knee is reacting very well — it doesn’t heat up, doesn’t swell,” he said.
“I have done a lot of work since my injury and I will be at 200 percent at the start of the league.”
PSG will now travel to South Korea to take on K-League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors before starting the new French league campaign at home to Lorient on August 12.
