2023 will have been a dark year. Victim of a ruptured Achilles tendon on February 26 on the Vélodrome pitch, Presnel Kimpembe will not see the end of the tunnel against Metz this Wednesday evening at the Parc des Princes. Operated two days after that nightmarish night in Marseille, the French international began his rehabilitation at the end of April despite wearing an orthopedic boot.
After a stay in Aspetar, the defender was even one of the first residents of the new PSG Campus at the end of June along with Nordi Mukiele, also in convalescence. Resumption of the race, first balls touched in September, the protocol for resuming one of the symbols of PSG is taking place as planned, with the desire not to rush anything and to leave behind the bad practices which had led it to force his returns to competition.
Since Euro 2021, the Parisian has accumulated several small glitches but has always known how to grit his teeth to play. Tibia, hamstring, Achilles tendon to rupture. As a consequence of a lack of rest. Aware of not having listened to his body enough, the native of Beaumont-sur-Oise ended up changing his outlook. Between its individual and collective recovery on November 9, two months have passed.
The pleasure is there, the first sessions are hard but the end of the tunnel finally seems to be visible. Kimpembe believes he can achieve his goal: to play again before the end of the calendar year even if PSG has not communicated any date for his return to the group. But during the first week of December, the native of Beaumont-sur-Oise went to London for a visit to James Calder, the trauma and orthopedic surgeon who operated on him.
The world champion now finds himself facing a dilemma
Florian Thauvin, Neymar and many other athletes have passed through the hands of this expert who carefully observes the evolution of his patients’ injuries. It is in this context that “Presko” is returning to his office as explained by PSG in its December medical bulletin. Simple check-up? Not only. Since resuming training, Kimpembe still feels pain which fluctuates depending on the day.
And this feeling forces him to postpone his expected return for the last matches of 2023. In recent weeks, the most likely hypothesis was to see him resume with the group at the end of January, beginning of February. A little enchanted parenthesis against Revel in the Coupe de France, which plays at a lower level (sixth division) and at a lower pace, has also been suggested even if it no longer seems favored.
In recent days, journalist Romain Molina claimed that Presnel Kimpembe, who still feels pain in his Achilles tendon, was going to be operated on again. This Wednesday, RMC also mentioned this hypothesis.
According to our information, the subject has been on the table for several weeks but the defender has taken the time to think about it, which his contractual situation makes complex. If he were to come back into the hands of James Calder, he would see his season ended before it had even started and would find himself without a contract in the middle of his convalescence.
Present at the group sessions in recent days, the 2018 world champion now finds himself faced with a dilemma: continue training and play at the risk of a relapse or go back to the operations box. In recent days, some of those closest to him encouraged him to take this long and painful path because it would allow him to maintain the hope of returning to the very high level.
