Hakimi back in training as PSG's injury picture begins to clear

Paris Saint-Germain have received a welcome piece of fitness news during the international break: Achraf Hakimi has returned to training, two weeks after suffering a minor injury to his right thigh.

The right-back has already rejoined his national team and is available for Morocco's match against Lesotho on Tuesday, a clear sign that the problem has healed without complication. For a player whose game is built on explosive repeated sprinting up and down the flank, a clean recovery from a thigh complaint is everything.

Why it matters for PSG

Hakimi remains one of the first names on the team sheet in Paris. His overlapping runs provide the width in a side that channels much of its attack down the right, and Ligue 1 opponents have consistently found him the hardest PSG defender to pin back. Losing him for a month would have forced a reshuffle at exactly the moment the champions are managing several other fitness cases.

The timing of the return is significant. PSG's schedule after the break is unrelenting: league duty resumes immediately, Champions League nights return within days of it, and the autumn run is where last season's title challenges were effectively decided. A back line at full strength is the foundation for all of it.

The club's medical updates this month have also covered Warren Zaire-Emery, who is in treatment for a slight left thigh problem picked up in the match against Marseille — a reminder that the squad is not yet at full strength even as the big names return. Le Classique took something out of the group, and the staff are still managing the aftermath.

What it means for Morocco

For Morocco, Hakimi's availability against Lesotho is a bonus rather than a necessity, but it keeps a central figure of their World Cup cycle in rhythm. He has been their most consistent attacking outlet from full-back, and the coaching staff value competitive minutes in a low-pressure fixture as the ideal bridge back to club football.

There is, of course, a note of caution. A player returning from a thigh injury in an international fixture is a familiar storyline for club medical departments to dread. PSG will hope Morocco use him sensibly with the fixture all but won on paper.

When Ligue 1 resumes, PSG will want their first-choice right flank intact from the first whistle. Hakimi's return to training suggests it will be.