(Reuters) - Paris St Germain must not fret over the absences of key players like Neymar and Edinson Cavani as their 2-0 win at Manchester United in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday proved they can succeed without them, forward Kylian Mbappe has said.
Neymar and Cavani, who have scored a combined 41 goals this season, are sidelined with foot and hip muscle injuries and did not make the trip to Old Trafford for the first leg.
Despite their depleted ranks, PSG ran out worthy winners and United lost by more than one goal in a home European tie for the first time.
"We need to stop with the scare stories. People need to stop being afraid," Mbappe told French media outlet RMC Sport, adding that while Neymar and Cavani were important it was what PSG did with the players on the pitch that mattered most.
"We're happy, but it's only half-time in the tie and we need to continue preparing well, because I think in the last 20 minutes we dropped off a bit physically."
The second leg in Paris is on March 6.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)