PSG will be patient with Neymar's recovery, insists Tuchel

Posted Wednesday, February 12, 2020 by Goal.com

The German boss has confirmed Marquinhos will not return against Dijon in the French Cup, while a decision on Neymar will be held until after training

Paris Saint-Germain will be patient with Neymar's recovery from injury, head coach Thomas Tuchel has insisted.

The Brazil star's availability for Wednesday's Coupe de France quarter-final tie at Dijon will be determined after he has been assessed at a training session on Tuesday.

Neymar was forced to miss PSG's 2-1 win at Nantes and 4-2 victory over Lyon in the past week, having suffered a rib injury against Montpellier on February 1.

He returned to training last Friday but Tuchel is eager not to rush his star man back onto the pitch.

"Neymar is injured, we have to be patient and careful with him," Tuchel told a press conference on Tuesday. "We are going to decide [if he can play] after training."
Tuchel confirmed it was too early for Marquinhos to return from a calf problem, with Saturday's Ligue 1 match away to Amiens instead being targeted for his comeback.

"Honestly, I can only decide after Amiens. As you know, I never want to play without Marqui," he added.

"He's a super important player, a key player for us. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, what will happen in Amiens (next weekend)."

Thiago Silva and Bernat will be back in the mix but Presnel Kimpembe and Marco Verratti suffered knocks against Lyon and are out.

They join Marquinhos, Colin Dagba and Abdou Diallo on the injury list, with Tuchel reluctant to take risks ahead of next week's Champions League last-16 first leg against his former team Borussia Dortmund.

PSG have failed to make it past the first knockout stage in three successive seasons, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United all getting the better of the French champions.

The general consensus on Tuchel's side is they cannot be considered a true superpower until they conquer Europe, with the German boss admitting the players must take responsibility for recent defeats in the competition.

"We can also say that it is our fault. PSG history is like that. With matches like Barcelona, Madrid and Man U, we can't wait for everyone to be positive," he said.

"But for me, it doesn't change anything. I'm with the team every day, I'm super happy that we are in the round of 16.

"It is a dream for everyone to play the Champions League with a competitive workforce, in a club like PSG.

"We remain positive, and we can only influence the context. We don't want to be influenced by the outside. It's sport and in sport, you must always try again and never give up."