Paris Saint-Germain will have to take on Manchester United in the last-16 of the Champions League without Neymar after the Brazilian was ruled out of the first leg. The former Barcelona man went down in agony after suffering a recurrence of a metatarsal injury in his right foot during a 2-0 victory over Racing Strasbourg in the French Cup last Wednesday. Neymar has undergone various tests and scans since, and now RMC Sport report that he will play no part against United at Old Trafford on February 12.
The 26-year-old met with Brazil boss Tite on Sunday in Paris and was reigned to missing the first leg, though there is still hope that he could be involved in the return fixture. Neymar’s injury is being treated by both PSG’s medical team and Brazil’s national team doctor, though he is still having difficulty applying pressure to his right foot.
With just two weeks until the first leg, the medical team do not believe there is sufficient time for Neymar to recover. The second leg is scheduled for March 6 at the Parc des Princes and, with the screw that was put into Neymar’s foot after an operation on the same metatarsal last year unaffected, there is hope he could play some part in the tie.
Marco Verratti is also sidelined, leaving Thomas Tuchel short on options: ‘Neymar came for some treatment on Friday. He is sad, I am sad too. It is horrible, but we tried to avoid talking about his injury and we made him laugh instead. ‘They are extraordinary players with great quality. We miss them and have no replacements, so it is a challenge to find solutions. We are a strong squad, though.’
