NEYMAR reportedly refused to train after Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel warned the star he was not guaranteed to play against Borussia Dortmund.
Mundo Deportivo claims Neymar, 28, threw a massive strop after being left out of PSG’s squad for the 6-1 French Cup quarter-final win at Dijon earlier this month.
Neymar reportedly refused to train after being told he was guaranteed to play against Borussia DortmundCredit: Reuters
Tuchel claimed after the match that Neymar was still nursing a rib injury from two weeks earlier.
And he told reporters there was a possibility the Brazilian would not feature in the upcoming Champions League last-16 first leg tie against Borussia Dortmund.
However, the star had apparently declared himself fit for the Dijon clash.
And when Neymar also heard Tuchel question his role in the Dortmund game, he apparently refused to participate in training.
It could explain why the forward was again not in the squad for PSG’s next league game against Amiens, which ended in a 4-4 draw.
He was finally restored to the team against Dortmund last week.
But Tuchel’s decision to play a new-look three-man defence backfired spectacularly as two goals from Erling Haaland handed the Germans a 2-1 advantage ahead of next month’s second leg in Paris.
Things took another spectacular turn when Neymar was sent off in the dying seconds of Sunday’s 4-3 win against Bordeaux – just in time for the Rio Carnival, which he has attended the previous six years.
Neymar’s reported behaviour casts further doubt over his PSG future, with Barcelona still thought to be keen on re-signing him.
The Spaniards failed to bring Neymar back to the Nou Camp last summer.
But it appears Tuchel is running out of patience with him and he hasn’t made more than 20 league appearances in a single season since joining PSG from Barca for a world-record £200million in 2017.
Kylian Mbappe is now PSG’s main man, and the French champions are in a desperate race to extend his contract as Real Madrid reportedly line up a new world-record bid this summer.
Neymar to be banned in Rio Carnival season again after red card for PSG against Bordeaux
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
