da dobrowin： The backup striker showed that he could step into the spotlight next year by scoring the opener against Le Havre

da leao： Ekitike's second-half strike opened up an otherwise stingy contest between newly promoted Le Havre and the Parisians in Luis Enrique's first game in charge. The 21-year-old scored just after half time, the first goal in a 2-0 win.

Opportunities were sparse before the break. Although the Parisians controlled possession for long stretches, they created little. Marco Asensio, playing in an unfamiliar central position, came closest, seeing a point-blank effort denied.

But PSG found a breakthrough early in the second half. Ekitike provided it, running in on goal, and turning in a rebound after seeing his first effort saved. There was a surprise introduction for Mbappe soon after, the Real Madrid-linked winger given a runout despite being surrounded by contract renewal controversy. And he inevitably scored finding the back of the net with a calm finish right before the final whistle. It ran in contrast to an otherwise anonymous 30-minute cameo.

If this is to be his last showing in a PSG shirt — and it might be — it wasn't a striking one. Ekitike, meanwhile, only has to keep scoring and wait for his chance.

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Twitter PSGLee Kang-In looks the part

The South Korean wasn't a very PSG signing. A young, exciting playmaker from a mid-table La Liga side, with no obvious marketing appeal or social media credibility, Lee didn't seem to fit the kind of megastar profile the Parisians have chased in recent years.

But it might just have been a shrewd piece of business. The former Mallorca man buzzed around the final third during his 45 minutes on the pitch, running at defenders and creating neat angles to connect with his teammates. Lee is nominally an attacking-midfielder, a player more likened to David Silva than Lionel Messi — the player he might expect to replace.

Still, he looked comfortable on the right and could offer a dangerous threat, a valuable direct presence to round out an interesting attack.

AdvertisementWhere's the No.9?

A criticism often leveled at Luis Enrique's Spain side was their clear lack of a goalscoring presence. At times, the manager played with six midfielders, forcing the likes of Dani Olmo or even Gavi into a central role. And he had something of the same issue here, deploying Asensio as his No.9 — with nothing to show for it.

Ekitike was the answer in the second half, bagging the goal. Still, it's hard to see the 20-year-old starting up front for the Parisians this season. And with Mbappe flirting with a Madrid move, a venture into the market seems likely. The Parisians have already been linked with a few targets, with Dusan Vlahovic, Randal Kolo Muani and Victor Osimhen among those named.

And on the evidence of today, Luis Enrique will need one of them – or a surprise fourth target – to bolster his squad. There is, of course, plenty of time this pre-season for Asensio to grow into a more central role. Neymar could also assume responsibility. Or Ekitike could continue to impress. But if this was a chance to ease fears of a lack of striking options, it wasn't exactly convincing.

Getty ImagesWarren Zaire-Emery bosses it

There were calls in some corners for Zaire-Emery to be among the first XI more towards the end of previous manager Christophe Galtier's reign. And Galtier obliged, but stuck the promising centre-midfielder at right-wing-back, a position he never quite seemed to grasp.

But here, under a new manager, he was entrusted with the central role that had seen him promoted to the first team at just 16. And the results were promising. Zaire-Emery was arguably the Parisians' best midfielder in the first half, outshining the more experienced Fabian Ruiz, and looking far more settled than the often erratic Manuel Ugarte.

There are reasons for caution, though. Zaire-Emery is still a teenager and Le Havre will likely be favourites to go down next year. It is, indeed, rather easy to look good against weaker opposition. Still, the young Frenchman showed enough to suggest there could yet be a regular spot for him next year.

GettyUgarte needs time

Ugarte was another newcomer that seemed very out of character for the Parisians. A well-rounded centre midfielder, a player who does a lot of things reasonably well, but doesn't particularly excel in one area.

And on Friday, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. In fact, Ugarte tried to do a bit of everything – with very few positive takeaways. At first, his passing was too conservative, a steady stream of sideways balls. Then, it was far too ambitious, as a few were either intercepted or pinged into touch. He flew into tackles, should have been booked at least twice, and was often unsure in his positioning.

In short, this was every bit a young player enduring a bit of an erratic debut. This is perhaps of little surprise. Ugarte is yet to turn 23, and the price tag, around €60 million (£51.6m/$64m), doesn't necessarily help with the pressure. Either way, he isn't quite ready to settle into Luis Enrique's system.