- 鈥淗opefully the fans and the club will see the best version of Julian in the next season鈥�
SUZHOU, China: Midfielder Julian Draxler said Monday that the single-minded 鈥渆gos鈥� of Neymar and Paris Saint-Germain鈥檚 other star forward did not always make it easy for the team.
And the German World Cup winner told AFP in an interview in China that he was still hurting from the French club鈥檚 failure to go farther in the Champions League last season.
PSG play Sydney FC in a friendly on Tuesday in Suzhou, China, but Draxler already has his mind on what promises to be another big season for the club and him personally.
Draxler, part of Germany鈥檚 2014 World Cup-winning squad, said it was 鈥渁 pleasure鈥� to play with the attacking triumvirate of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe 鈥� even though it has its challenges.
The Brazilian star Neymar, who is in China but will not be involved in the match as he works his way toward full fitness, has made clear that he wants to return to Barcelona.
鈥淎ll of them are exceptional players, it is hard to find in the world players of this level,鈥� said Draxler, who arrived in the French capital in January 2017 for a reported 36 million euros from Wolfsburg.
鈥淏ut of course they have their own minds, their own heads, they live football, they want to score every game, so they have an ego.
鈥淪o sometimes it鈥檚 not easy for the whole team, but if you are lucky enough to play alongside these players, it鈥檚 just a pleasure every day.鈥�
Like Neymar, Draxler 鈥� who has more than 50 caps for Germany 鈥� has been linked with a move away from the perennial French champions, having been in and out of the starting XI.
Asked how he would summarise his time in France so far, Draxler blew out his cheeks and paused.
鈥淚t鈥檚 two-and-a-half years now since I arrived and I won a lot of (domestic) titles so I am happy about that,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 became a better player than I was before, so that鈥檚 positive, but what is negative is what we achieved in the Champions League.
鈥淲e did not go far in the Champions League and that was one of the goals when I signed.鈥�
Bankrolled by Qatari money and coached by Draxler鈥檚 fellow German Thomas Tuchel, PSG went out in the last 16 of the Champions League after conceding a late goal home to an injury-hit Manchester United.
鈥淚t hurts a lot, it hurts still that we did not go through,鈥� said Draxler, five months on.
鈥淏ut from the potential in the team, we are ready to go far in the Champions League.鈥�
Draxler was linked over the summer with Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham Hotspur, but he made it clear that he is focused only on showing PSG what he can do.
He said that he has 鈥渟pace to improve 鈥� a lot.鈥�
鈥淚 am almost 26 and I think the best years of my career are coming now, I hope so.
鈥淣ow I am a good age: I have experience but I am still young,鈥� he added.
鈥淗opefully the fans and the club will see the best version of Julian in the next season.鈥�