Neymar knew it was best for him to play a limited role away to Real Madrid.
According to Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Thomas Tuchel said he benched Neymar for the player’s own good against Real Madrid and did not fear upsetting the Paris Saint-Germain star. Neymar, a starter against Lille on Friday, was introduced at half-time of a rollicking 2-2 Champions League draw in Madrid on Tuesday.
PSG trailed to Karim Benzema’s opener when the Brazilian entered the game and fell further behind when the Madrid striker nodded in Marcelo’s cross, before Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia struck in quick succession to force a share of the spoils.
? #RMPSG pic.twitter.com/gveIzVyEae
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 26, 2019
Tuchel admitted ahead of the Madrid showdown that the 27-year-old Brazilian could at times be tough to manage but insisted his reduced role at the Santiago Bernabeu was a direct result of his recent hamstring injury.
“No, I’m not afraid of it, I don’t think we are going to lose Neymar,” the PSG boss told France Info. “We have a connection, we are honest. I talked to him and told him that I would rather he play in the second half and start on the bench. We did the same thing with Mbappe away to Galatasaray.
“He has been absent for six weeks, he only played one game before this one and for me it was not worth taking that risk. Every month he missed a few days. I made the decision for him, for his health.”
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