Neymar shows off protective boot after spraining his ankle… but could return to face Bayern Munich
PSG star Neymar has cursed his luck after suffering yet another injury at the weekend, with the forward now having to wear a protective boot after spraining his ankle.
The Brazilian, who scored PSG’s second goal in their thrilling 4-3 win over Lille, left the field in tears on Sunday after being taken off on a stretcher following a collision with Benjamin Andre.
Neymar took to Instagram late on Sunday night to post a picture of his right foot along with the caption ‘again and again’ followed by a tearful emoji.
PSG boss Christophe Galtier confirmed after the game that Neymar had sprained his ankle, with the club’s demanding fixture schedule playing a part in the winger’s latest injury.
‘Neymar suffered a sprained ankle during the game against Lille and underwent an MRI scan today. It did not reveal any fracture,’ PSG said in a statement. ‘A new ligament assessment will be carried out in 48 hours.’
The club did not provide details on how long Neymar would be unavailable.
However, French news outlet L’Equipe have reported that Neymar’s camp are hoping he will only be sidelined for a maximum of three weeks – meaning he will be back in time to face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on March 8.
PSG currently need to overturn a 1-0 deficit at the Allianz Arena to progress through to the next stage of the Champions League but may have to do it with Neymar should he fail to fully recover in time.
The 31-year-old sustained damage to the same ankle during last year’s World Cup in Qatar and missed two games.
Ligue 1 leaders PSG face Marseille, who are five points behind in second, away next weekend and host Nantes before taking on Bayern.
Neymar has twice spent lengthy spells on the sidelines after sustaining metatarsal fractures before PSG’s last-16 tie against Real Madrid in 2019 and against Manchester United the following year, with the French side being knocked out on both occasions.
‘This is not bad luck,’ Galtier said. ‘There are always reasons for injuries – the schedule, the sequence of games. It is never random. He is being examined to know the severity of his sprain.
‘Of course, it complicates things and that’s the way it is. We have to keep our heads down. We’re going to do it again, but with a victory. That is more pleasant.’
