Mauricio Pochettino said that Neymar may be ready for a clash against Barcelona for next week.
Brazilian star was injured for almost a month
Neymar returns to his squad for the second leg of their last 16 Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday. The Brazilian was left out of the team to play Brest in the Coupe de France on Saturday, but he returned to partial training and Mauricio Pochettino is “very pleased” with his recovery. Neymar has not played for PSG since his injury in a 1-0 cup win over Kahn on February 10, missing out on the virtuoso performance of Kylian Mbappé as they humbled his former side 4-1 at Camp Nou.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, PSG coach Pochettino said: “He will not be here tomorrow, but we are very pleased with his development and will see in the coming days if he can be in the squad against Barcelona. Neymar was expected to serve about a month when he was first injured, and Pochettino said last week that his recovery is on schedule.
Neymar did not hide his disappointment
When Ney was kicked out of the first match against Barça, he made no secret of his disappointment by lashing out with an emotional post on Instagram. He clearly would like to play against his old side and fans would no doubt enjoy the story – but if his fitness is all about touch and care, it remains to be seen if Pochettino is willing to risk it. Given their 6-1 humiliation in 2017, the French side won’t count their chickens, but sending Neymar might be considered an unnecessary risk. PSG have the Ligue 1 title race, two points behind leaders Lille with 10 games left. With Lyon just a point behind in third, Pochettino may prefer to give Neymar some extra time to recover and keep him fit for a title run.