"He has many years of football ahead of him" - PSG superstar Neymar heaps praise on teammate with 'great potential'
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar has showered teammate Gianluigi Donnarumma with praise, lauding his excellent shot-stopping ability and positive attitude.
Donnarumma has made some wrong judgment calls since joining PSG, with the most recent one coming in the 2-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League (September 6). He misjudged the flight of Filip Kostic’s cross and prematurely came out of his line to collect it. As a result, he was caught in no-man’s-land, allowing Weston McKennie to head the ball into an empty net.
Gianluigi Donnarumma once again at fault in a big Champions League tie, caught in no man's land for Juventus' goal. Given that PSG possess arguably the world's best no.2 in Keylor Navas, the Italian doesn't have a large margin for error.
While fans on social media have criticized the keeper, Neymar has no doubt that the goalkeeper has a bright future ahead of him. Speaking to DAZN, he said (via Le10sport):
“Gigio is a phenomenal goalkeeper. We know he's great at stopping shots.
“He is also very young. He has many years of football ahead of him. He's a great guy who always wears a smile on his face. We know we have a goalkeeper with huge potential.”
AC Milan graduate Donnarumma joined the Parisians last summer as a free agent. He featured in 17 Ligue 1 games last season but has emerged as the club’s undisputed first-choice keeper under coach Christophe Galtier, starting all six league matches this season.
Donnarumma, 23, has so far appeared in 32 games for PSG across competitions, conceding 28 goals and keeping 13 clean sheets.
Neymar has been PSG’s most dependable source of creativity this season
PSG coach Christophe Galtier has seemingly rejuvenated Neymar’s stagnating career. The French coach has found a way to make the Brazilian forward considerably more effective in and around the box.
More impressively, the former Barcelona man has been contributing to the press more than ever, often compelling the opposition to give the ball away cheaply.
The only way to stop Neymar Jr:
🐐 https://t.co/7W88zAXUVR
Since the start of the season, Neymar has scored nine goals and provided seven assists in eight games in all competitions. With 16, he has the highest goal contributions not only in France but also across Europe (top five leagues and cup competitions).
If he keeps this up, he could ascend as his team’s most successful attacker this season, eclipsing superstar teammates Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.