Renato Sanchez subbed in, then off by Jose Mourinho after playing 18 minutes

Renato Sanches, who PSG sent on loan to AS Roma last summer in a last-ditch effort to salvage his career and recover him for their own good, is facing ongoing injury challenges in Italy (as has always been the case throughout his career) and has struggled to find form at Roma, hindered by those issues

So far this season, about to reach the halfway break, Renato Sanches has only started in two of the nine games in which he's made an appearance, totaling 227 minutes of play.

Sanches has suffered three different injuries since joining Roma: a muscle issue in August, a thigh strain in September, and muscle fatigue in late November. That has forced him to miss 13 games to date.

Roma coach Jose Mourinho, who was linked with the PSG position last summer, recently expressed some concerns and tried to explain how impossible it is for him to understand how a player can have so many frequent injuries. "Bayern Munich did not understand, PSG did not understand either, and we [AS Roma] have difficulty understanding."

Last weekend in a game against Bologna, Sanches was substituted in after halftime for Leonardo Spinazzola but was taken off just 18 minutes later. Mourinho's decision to remove Sanches was "not due to injury, but because of tactical reasons," said Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager apologized publicly, for his decision after the game, acknowledging the difficulty of the choice he had to make for both him and Renato Sanches.

He commented on Sanches' emotional scars and fears related to his injuries, noting the player's low intensity in training and his seeming lack of passion for the game (in a demoralizing way), hinting that Renacho Sanches knows that no matter what he does, he'd eventually suffer another physical setback.

Reports from Italian outlet Il Messaggero suggested on Monday that Sanches may be excluded from Mourinho's plans due to his lack of readiness and ongoing difficulties, with a potential return to PSG as soon as next January.

The loan agreement in place between AS Roma and PSG includes a must-buy option to be executed by Roma although only if Sanches plays over 55% of all Roma's matches, a condition unlikely to be met by the player.

Whether it's next month or next June, expect Renato Sanches back at PSG at some point in 2024.