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PSG star, Neymar, has had his season cut short after an ankle injury he suffered during his side’s 4-3 win over Lille last month has turned out to be worse than first feared. The Brazilian forward needs surgery on the ankle which means he won’t return this season.
His right foot has caused him a number of the issues over the years so he will be hoping that an operation may well cure the issue entirely so he can get back on track with his glittering career. Issues on his right foot caused him to miss the 2019 Copa America and also two games at the 2022 World Cup.
Since returning from the World Cup this winter, he hasn’t seemed like the same player prompting many to suggest he had been carrying the injury for some time. The 31-year-old has scored 13 times for PSG this year and provided ten assists and he will be a huge miss in their pursuit for a maiden Champions League.
Confirming the injury, PSG released the following statement:
“Neymar Jr has sustained a number of instances of instability in his right ankle in recent years. Following his latest sprain on 20 February, the Paris Saint-Germain medical staff recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence. All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity.”
After the statement, Neymar took to Instagram to share a quick update with his followers. He shared a picture of himself with the caption “I’ll come back stronger.” At the age of 31, however, it will be difficult for him to return from such a serious operation as the same player.
BREAKING: Neymar’s season is over. A surgery will be carried out in the coming days in Doha. 🚨🔴🔵🇧🇷 #Neymar
➕ Neymar will not return to collective training for 3-4 months, PSG confirm. pic.twitter.com/RTIlwAWWro
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 6, 2023
How PSG will cope without Neymar
Losing a player of Neymar’s ability is undoubtedly going to make PSG less of a force going forward but when you also have Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in your team, the significance of the injury does feel a little less severe.
Mbappe is the main man of this PSG team, especially as Messi gets older but both men could potentially thrive without having a third star to defer to. Since Neymar’s injury a couple of weeks ago, PSG have switched to a 3-5-2 formation and they have performed well, winning both of their Ligue 1 games without the Brazilian comfortably.
The true test will come tomorrow night when they face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. After losing the first leg 1-0, the French side know that they need to win in Munich to progress through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
There has long been suggestions that a front three of Neymar, Messi and Mbappe can’t work in the biggest European games due to the lack of defensive work. With Neymar now out of the team, they may well fare better.
Neymar’s future
With Neymar out until the summer, there is the possibility that he has played his final game for the club. It feels like every year since he moved to the French capital in 2017 there have been rumours linking him with a move away and those rumours are swirling around once again.
A move back to Barcelona has been touted as has a move to the Premier League with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United said to be interested.
