Salvatore Sirigu has revealed Paris Saint-Germain teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic "isn't good in his own mind" as the Swede struggles for fitness.
When his teammates step out onto the Stade de France pitch to face Lens on Friday night, Ibrahimovic, 33, will be in the stands for the French champions' fifth successive match.
The Sweden captain has not been able to shake off a heel injury that denied him the opportunity to lead his country in their recent Euro 2016 qualifiers and that is keeping him waiting to make his 100th competitive appearance for PSG.
While on international duty last week, Ibrahimovic admitted he felt a little "like a zombie" as he fought his way back to fitness, and having witnessed his teammate working in the gym at PSG's training ground, Sirigu, 27, understands what Ibrahimovic means.
"Of course, it's a difficult situation for him to go through. He's still not playing," the Italy international goalkeeper told Le Parisien. "You can really see that Zlatan isn't good in his own mind."
Sweden national team medical staff had said they could find no reason for the problem, though did acknowledge Ibrahimovic was significantly hampered by the pain his damaged heel was causing him.
PSG coach Laurent Blanc, who is set to play Edinson Cavani against Lens in the central striking role of his 4-3-3 formation that is usually occupied by Ibrahimovic, told media the former Barcelona man was improving, but slowly.
"For Zlatan, things are going in the right direction, but not quickly enough for him to start training with the squad again," the ex-Bordeaux and France boss explained. "I hope the situation isn't going to persist, but I can't give you a date for when he'll be back."