Achraf Hakimi Granted Rest Before International Duty
Paris Saint-Germain have decided that Achraf Hakimi will pause before he pushes again.
The club confirmed on Friday that the Moroccan star has been granted a rest period running up to the November international window, a move that will see him sit out Saturday’s Ligue 1 clash with Troyes at the Parc des Princes.
The decision came after talks between head coach Luis Enrique and the club’s sporting management, with PSG framing it as a calculated breather rather than a cause for alarm.
“In agreement with the coach and the Club’s Sporting Directorate, Achraf Hakimi will benefit from a period of rest until the start of the international window,” the French champions said in a statement.
A Break Earned the Hard Way
If anyone has earned a pause, it is Hakimi.
The 28-year-old has been a constant in Luis Enrique’s side this season, driving PSG’s right flank with the kind of intensity that drains the legs but electrifies a stadium. His performance against Le Havre on October 30 underlined just how high his level has been.
That night he produced the match of his PSG career: his first-ever hat-trick and two assists in a 5-1 demolition, a result that stretched the club’s winning run to nine games in all competitions. He didn’t just decorate the scoreline; he dictated it.
Days later, he was again at the heart of PSG’s Champions League push, playing a central role in the victory over Villarreal on Tuesday. The minutes have piled up. So have the sprints, the overlaps, the recovery runs.
The rest feels less like a precaution and more like a strategic pit stop for one of the team’s most relentless engines.
Morocco Watching Closely
Inevitably, the news ripples beyond Paris.
Hakimi’s pause comes just before Morocco’s two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Niger, and any mention of “rest” around a key player in November tends to set alarm bells ringing in national team camps.
For now, there is no indication of a problem.
National coach Mohamed Ouahbi named Hakimi in his 26-man squad on Wednesday, alongside fellow defenders Noussair Mazraoui, Nayef Aguerd and Issa Diop. The plan remains clear: Hakimi is expected to report for duty.
Morocco host Niger at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on November 13, then face the same opponents four days later at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Both matches kick off at 8 p.m. local time, two prime-time nights that could shape the group.
The Atlas Lions head into the November window on top of Group A with six points from six, after victories over Gabon and Lesotho. Momentum is theirs. Keeping their star right-back sharp without overloading him is the balancing act.
For Ouahbi, PSG’s decision may even be welcome. A fresher Hakimi, arriving from Paris with his legs cleared and his confidence high, is exactly the kind of weapon coaches dream of in a qualifying campaign.
One More Push Before the Pause
Back in France, PSG must negotiate one last league assignment before the break.
Troyes visit the Parc des Princes on November 7, a fixture the champions will approach without one of their most influential performers. Hakimi’s absence removes a key outlet on the right, but it also underlines how central he has become to both club and country.
PSG can afford to manage his minutes. Morocco cannot afford to lose his edge.
The next two weeks will show whether this carefully timed rest keeps Hakimi exactly where everyone expects him to be: at full throttle when the stakes rise again.
