Neymar doubtful for PSG's match against Pays de Cassel - Reports
PSG and Brazilian forward Neymar is reportedly a doubt for his club's Coupe de France clash against Pays de Cassel.
Les Parisiens will return to domestic action this week when they take on fellow French side Pays de Cassel on Monday (January 23).
PSG could however be without highly rated forward Neymar when they travel to face Pays de Cassel. His possible absence is believed to be related to an injury concern.
📸 @neymarjr https://t.co/qwb6fXPFpJ
The winger suffered an ankle injury during Brazil's first 2022 FIFA World Cup game against Serbia. The bruise ruled him out for the entirety of the group stages of the competition.
He, however, made a return in the knockout stages before eventually bowing out of the World Cup with Brazil in the quarter-finals.
Despite returning to club action in December, there are fears at PSG that Neymar hasn't fully recovered from his ankle injury. Reports, as seen in Le10sport, show that the Brazilian still suffers pain in his ankle.
Ahead of the round-of-32 clash, Christophe Galtier had this to say when asked if Neymar will play on Monday as seen in PSGtalk:
"The best team will be aligned on Monday in the French Cup."
He continued:
"There is no reason at this time of the season when the weeks are very light to make some turnovers. We want to find rhythm, intensity and automatisms. It would be stupid.
"So we will have a very competitive team and very close to what it can be in the championship."
Neymar's future uncertain at PSG
The Brazilian is currently among a couple of first-team players at the Parc des Princes whose long-term futures seem uncertain, as reported by MARCA.
Neymar signed for the French giants in the summer of 2017 for a world-record transfer fee in the region of €222 million.
He has since gone on to score a remarkable 115 goals and provided a further 73 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions.
The deal that changed the transfer market forever? 💰
Three years ago today, PSG signed Neymar from Barcelona for a world record fee of €222 million ✍️ https://t.co/0TDJaSROkO
The Brazilian's contract with the club is, however, expected to expire in the summer of 2025. Should he not tie down a contract extension anytime soon, he could be an option for other European clubs.
A major stumbling block for Neymar could be his extremely high wages, as very few clubs would be able to take care of it.