Unai Emery insisted he was happy with the attitude of Angel Di Maria after replacing the Argentine winger after 70 minutes of Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 win over Troyes.
Di Maria cut a forlorn figure in the warm-up for PSG's previous game – a 2-1 win over defending Ligue 1 champions Monaco – when he sat on a ball by himself after being named among the substitutes.
The former Manchester United star was restored to Emery's starting 11 for the visit of Troyes on Wednesday but the game remained goalless until he was replaced by Kylian Mbappe and the home side took the lead through goals from Neymar and Edinson Cavani.
In the mixed zone afterwards, Emery admitted Di Maria was not at his best in the match but offered reassurances over the 29-year-old's commitment to the team.
"I'm happy with all the players. The most important thing is their state of mind," Emery told C8.
70' Double substitution for PSG November 29, 2017
"Angel works every day for the team. Sometimes he has very good matches, sometimes worse. We will continue to give everyone confidence.
"I spoke with Angel yesterday. He started the match with a lot of desire and motivation. Maybe he did not show his best moves as he wanted or as we wanted.
"His attitude is good. I want to maintain a good spirit in the team and take each match as it comes."
PSG struggled to break down a determined Troyes side, who would have taken a 1-0 lead after 35 minutes had Stephane Darbion's goal not been harshly ruled out for offside.
Cavani also missed a first-half penalty, but two goals in the last 17 minutes turned the game.
"It was a difficult team to play against and they closed the game down. That's why we had to maintain consistency in the match," said Emery, who refused to discuss whether the likes of Di Maria might be seeking a move in the January transfer window.
"All players must think of Paris. We cannot talk about transfer window before we still have a lot of matches. We need to think about the current workforce and give them confidence.
"If players are not in the spirit we want, we talk together. I'm happy with the group."
‘Ruben Amorim could have waited for Real Madrid and had a better chance to be successful – to have joined Manchester United, he must be convinced in his own ability’ Former Old Trafford coach’s verdict on new boss
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
