I was in doubt about Neymar joining Real Madrid - Carvajal

Posted Wednesday, September 04, 2019 by Goal.com

The Spanish side spent the window trying to sign the Brazilian star and Paul Pogba but the defender urged his team-mates to forget about them

Dani Carvajal says he was sceptical about Real Madrid's chances of landing Neymar in the summer transfer window and urged his side not to worry about the Brazilian attacker or Paul Pogba.

Neymar was desperate to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the close-season and had been heavily linked to a move to Madrid, while Barcelona were also said to be trying to sign him back.

Meanwhile, Pogba had been one of their top targets as the midfielder was looking for a way out of Manchester United, but their hopes of landing him were dashed when the English window closed without the Premier League side signing a replacement.

Carvajal admitted that the duo's potential arrival was discussed among the Madrid squad, but the right-back always had his doubts about the possibility of Neymar joining.

"You saw that one day he went to Barca, another day he came with us, another day he stayed," he told El Partidazo de COPE .

"We asked the Brazilians and they told us that he didn't know. I was in doubt. He is a top-five or top-three player. Such a player is welcome on any team."

He added: "Pogba sounded good too. The transfer dates close differently everywhere and in the end he has not arrived.

"We are who we are, and we cannot think of someone who is not with us."

I was in doubt about Neymar joining Real Madrid - Carvajal

There was still something of a rebuild at Madrid, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo Goes brought in.

Carvajal, whose team have collected five points from their opening three La Liga games, said it was tough to make drastic changes at Madrid.

"There is always talk of revolution, but in a team like Real Madrid, where everyone wants to be and not everyone wants to leave, it's not easy," he said.

"Players have come to help us like Hazard, Militao, Mendy … and I think it is to complement a great workforce."

Zinedine Zidane's side sit four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid in the table and are in action again on September 14 when they host Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu.