Presnel Kimpembe: 'Increased responsibilities'

THE START OF THE SEASON

"It has been difficult for us. We returned to training on 22 June. With the health pandemic, it was never easy for anybody. The league stopped and we were at home for three or four months. It was therefore difficult to be ready for the return of competitive football, the Champions League, the international matches and pre-season… It was difficult for us. But this is the situation, and we are happy to be back doing our jobs, playing football and we will try to make the most of it as much as possible."

CAPTAINCY

"It's not the first time that I have been lucky enough to wear the armband. It went very well. It brings with it lots of responsibility. If the coach hands me the armband, it's because I am capable of wearing it. Everything is going well with Marquinhos. We have known each other for six years, we get on well both on and off of the field. We know that we have more responsibility and we welcome that with open arms for the team and for the club."

TURNING POINT?

"Turning points, I have had a lot of them in my career, even though it has only just started. There was the defeat against Manchester United at the Parc des Princes, or playing with an injury for almost all of the season. There was also the period after the World Cup, which was difficult for me. I was struggling to put in back-to-back performances. I worked hard to get back. It was complicated, but I had to go through that in order to come out the other side."

DANILO ALONGSIDE HIM 

"Adapting isn't a problem for him. He has already played there. If the coach plays him in defence, it's because he has his reasons to do so. I will help him as much as possible, he's a very clever lad, very strong and ready for this kind of match because he was captain at  Porto. We have confidence in him. I don't know if he will play in that role, the coach will decide and we will need to respect his choice."