PSG players must show they deserve to wear the shirt, says Pochettino

(FILES) This file photo taken on November 6, 2019 shows Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino clapping at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group B football match between Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zvezda) and Tottenham Hotspur at the Rajko Mitic stadium in Belgrade. – Paris Saint-Germain have fired their coach Thomas Tuchel with former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino lined up as his replacement, according to various media reports on December 24, 2020. The French champions declined to make any comment when contacted by AFP to confirm the reports carried by L’Equipe newspaper and RMC and German tabloid Bild. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP)

New Paris St. Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is relishing the opportunity to take charge of a star-studded squad but has warned the club’s top players that they must prove they deserve to wear the jersey of the French champions.

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino was named head coach of PSG on Saturday, with the Argentine replacing Thomas Tuchel, who was sacked on Christmas Eve after a 4-0 victory over Racing Strasbourg as the side sat in third in the league.

“In this club it’s always been about excellence, the players have to deserve to wear the jersey,” Pochettino, who played for PSG as a defender in the early 2000s and also captained the side, told the club’s website. “I think that it’s a fantastic squad and I think that we can accomplish what this club and the players want because they are competitors and they want to lift trophies.”

The 48-year-old, who has signed a deal until June 2022, said his first task would be to ensure everyone at the club worked together.

“Our main goal is to make sure everyone is heading in the same direction. The idea is for everyone to want to win for the club more than anything else. We want to be a strong club with a strong structure,” he added.

Pochettino will take his first training session later on Sunday ahead of his first game in charge, a trip to St. Etienne on Wednesday when the league resumes following the winter break.