Neymar out for 6-8 weeks
Paris Saint-Germain's hopes of getting Neymar back for their crunch Champions League clash against Real Madrid next week look to be over after the Brazilian's father claimed the player would be out for "at least six weeks".
Speaking to ESPN on Tuesday, Neymar Senior said: "PSG know that they will not be able to count on Neymar for the upcoming matches: his treatment will last six to eight weeks, whether there is an operation or not."
That was after PSG coach Unai Emery claimed that "no decision" had been taken on whether Neymar would require surgery and that there was a "small chance" of getting him back in time to face Real next Tuesday.
Tests confirmed that Neymar suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot as well as a twisted ankle late in PSG's over Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Brazilian newspaper Globo Esporte had claimed Neymar would undergo surgery, and that he would be sidelined until May.
If his father's estimate is correct, Neymar would not return before the semifinal stage of the Champions League in late April.
On the possibility of rushing Neymar back for the Real second leg, experts say that PSG would be taking a huge risk, possibly even jeopardising Neymar's participation at the World Cup in Russia in June and July.
"It would be very risky as it's a fragile bone in the foot which is difficult to protect," Jean-Marcel Ferret, a former doctor with the French national team, told AFP. "[Playing against Real] could compromise the rest of his season."
Comments