“I don’t know when I’m going to play again” – PSG superstar Neymar makes honest admission on return to action
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Neymar has made a honest admission that he's unsure about the timeline of his return to action.
The No. 10 saw his campaign cut short last term due to a devastating ankle injury. He was having a stellar season before the injury, bagging 17 goals and 18 assists in 29 games across competitions. However, the superstar forward had to undergo surgery and has since been out of action since early 2023.
While he has been a part of the squad for the Parisians' pre-season tour to Japan, the Brazilian is yet to garner minutes on the field. Regarding a timeline of his potential return, the former Barcelona superstar was coy as he told L'Equipe:
“I feel good, but I don’t know when I’m going to play again.”
Lionel Messi has left PSG, while Kylian Mbappe looks increasingly likely to leave this summer. While Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele is inching closer to a move to the Parisians, Neymar is expected to be the main cog in Luis Enrique's attack next season.
Since his €222 million move from Barcelona in 2017, a world record transfer, the Brazilian attacker has scored 118 goals and provided 77 assists in 173 games across competitions.
Xavi uses Neymar reference to stop Ousmane Dembele from joining PSG
Ousmane Dembele is set to join PSG from Barcelona for €50 million, according to many reliable journalists. While the Parisians haven't triggered his La Liga release clause, they will pay only €50 million as a result of sending a private letter to Barca.
Barcelona boss Xavi has reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to prevent Dembele from making the move. He has used a reference of his former teammate Neymar, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Xavi has cited that since his 2017 transfer, the Brazilian has tried to force a move back to the Blaugrana on multiple occasions, but that never happened.
Dembele has been a key player in Barca's attack since Xavi took charge in late 2021. The Frenchman arrived in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund as Neymar's replacement and has scored 40 goals and provided 43 assists in 185 games across competitions for the Blaugrana.
Despite being out injured for a while, Dembele racked up impressive numbers last season, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists in 35 games across competitions. His future, though, looks set to lie at PSG, though.