PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel insists he is not bothered whether Kylian Mbappe will surpass Neymar at the club, and is not interested about what the pair get up to on social media.
PSG head coach Thomas Tuchel has refused to comment on whether the club is interested in Tottenham left-back Danny Rose but was quick to praise the player’s talents.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Angel Di Maria insists Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar have a good relationship, despite previous disputes over penalty kicks.
Neymar returned to Barcelona’s training ground on Monday to visited his old friends, but the superstar insisted he has no intention of leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian left Barcelona to join PSG in a world record €222 million deal last summer and had been strongly linked with a switch to Real Madrid in this transfer window. But he said his return to Barcelona for advertising commitments wasn’t an indication of his future plans.
“I have a contract with PSG and I will be staying there,” He told TV3.
Neymar, who scored in PSG’s 3-1 win against Angers on Saturday, posted photographs on his Instagram account with Ivan Rakitic, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Luis Suarez after catching up with his former teammates.
Neymar estuvo este lunes en el entrenamiento del Barça. Posó junto a Rakitic, Ter Stegen y Luis Suárez. Con el club será otra historia, pero con la plantilla sigue manteniendo una gran relación pic.twitter.com/HFMKmJS4cC
— Toni Juanmarti (@tjuanmarti) August 27, 2018
His bond with club remains as strong as ever, with Mundo Deportivo quoting the Brazilian as saying he would “find it difficult to face Barcelona in the Champions League.”
Meanwhile, Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti said he believes Neymar and Kylian Mbappe can play together in the same XI for PSG this season.
PSG will pair Neymar in attack with Mbappe, who cost €180m after an initial loan from Monaco. Despite their spending, PSG fell short in the Champions League last season, exiting the competition in the round of 16 against Real Madrid.
“Neymar was a very good teammate to have when he was at Barcelona,” Umtiti told Canal+. “He’s somebody who is always full of joy, who is always happy and who is always playing pranks and making jokes.
“We know all about Neymar’s qualities. He can unlock any match. He is [playing] at an exceptional level. Neymar together with Kylian Mbappe … players of their talent are made to play together. There is no reason why it should not work.”
Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti believes Neymar and Kylian Mbappe can achieve success together at PSG.
Umtiti spent one season playing with Neymar at the Camp Nou and is teammates with Mbappe with France, who won the World Cup in July.
Even though a month has passed since France beat Croatia in the final, Umtiti said he cannot believe they won.
“I think about the World Cup title every single day,” Umtiti said. “When I pick up my phone, I see it as it is my wallpaper. It is true that I think about it all the time, even when I speak with my family or teammates who shared these moments with me.
“We had a wonderful squad. Honestly, I could have spent two more months with them. It was fun, but at the same time, also serious. It is all well and good to have won the World Cup but there were other things behind it too. You have to stay focused and not try to be somebody else.”
Umtiti, 24, is still one of the younger members of Barca’s first team, but he has accepted more responsibility since Ernesto Valverde took charge last season.
He is already looking to use those skills in a coaching career when his playing days eventually end.
“I would like to go into coaching,” Umtiti said. “I think that it is a job that I will be able to enjoy after my footballing career.”
Be the first to comment