After being stretchered off the pitch in their defeat to Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar could return as soon as this weekend after his injury turned out to be not as bad as first feared. There were concerns that the tackle from Thiago Mendes, for which he was sent off, had fractured the Brazillian’s ankle. However, a statement yesterday confirmed that it was just a sprain and now Le Parisien are reporting that he could return this Sunday for PSG’s match against Ligue 1 leaders Lille.
Neymar Could Return to Paris Saint-Germain Squad This Weekend
Top of the Table Clash
Tomorrow’s Ligue 1 match against Lorient will come too soon for Neymar regardless of the extent of the injury. However, in his pre-match press conference, PSG boss Thomas Tuchel suggested that the Brazillian could return in time for Sunday’s clash against league leaders Lille.
He told reporters: “It’s not impossible that he plays for us. We will try everything for Lille, I can not say yes or no. We will wait for new exams tomorrow (Wednesday). We can give more details later.”
Tuchel will want to remain upbeat and hope that he can have his star man available for what will no doubt be a tough fixture. However, rushing him back for the game if he is not fully fit could backfire and lead to PSG dropping further behind the top two.
Leaving Neymar out of this game and giving him the winter break to fully recover could, in the long run, prove to be the more sensible option.
The first diagnosis that was reported yesterday still needs to be confirmed by a second round of tests. In the meantime, though, Neymar is working alongside the PSG medical staff in the first stages of recovery.
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