Ricardo Carvalho has said that he has never doubted his qualities as a defender despite his age, as AS Monaco prepare to face Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Carvalho joined Monaco from Real Madrid, where the defender had lost his place in the side following a knee injury.

"I could have signed for clubs in Dubai, Qatar or the USA, where they would have given me a two-year contract while Monaco were only offering me one. But I knew that I could have a good season here," said Carvalho, according to Ligue1.com.

"I lost my place at Real because of a knee injury, and I wasn't able to get it back. Without injury, I know I can be good, and I never doubted that I could establish myself at Monaco. If I had doubted, I would have gone elsewhere."

Monaco currently find themselves five points behind PSG in second place in the Ligue 1 table.

Written by
Christopher Dodd