Neymar injury: Early news and potential return date
By Euan Burns
Paris Saint-Germain have not been in good form in recent weeks and it has led to a lot of negative tension between the squad and the fanbase. Whilst they got a crucial win over Lille on Sunday, there is serious concern around the injury that Neymar suffered.
The Ligue 1 leaders beat Lille 4-3 in the thrilling early kick-off at the Parc Des Princes on Sunday with goals coming from the three stars, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar.
It was not all rosy though because as images on social media have shown, Neymar's ankle found itself at an angle it should never be during the second half and he had to be stretchered off. Here are all the details that we know so far about when he could return.
- PSG 4-3 Lille: Player ratings as late Mbappe & Messi goals end embarrassing run
- Christophe Galtier reacts to Neymar's late-night McDonald's trip & Kylian Mbappe comments
When could Neymar return from his injury?
There has not been a chance for PSG to do the necessary tests to determine the full extent of the injury, but one only needs to see the still of the injury to know that it will be a few weeks out for the Brazilian.
Generally speaking, any sort of ligament damage to an ankle can take around 4-6 weeks to recover from which would mean Neymar misses a big chunk of the rest of the campaign.
As we know with PSG, the Champions League is where their interests really lie. Luckily for them, there is a big gap between the first and second legs of the round of 16 ties this season. The second leg against Bayern Munich is not until March 8. It is still very possible that he will miss that game, but if the injury is not as bad as first feared, that could be when he makes his return.
If he has done ligament damage, though, it could more realistically be the back end of March that he makes his return for Les Parisiens.
PSG are away at Marseille next which promises to be a really tough game and they will be navigating it without Neymar. Mbappe said after the match: "I hope Neymar’s injury is not serious, I hope he returns soon, we need him with us."
What happened in PSG 4-3 Lille?
PSG raced into a 2-0 lead inside the first 17 minutes thanks to goals from Mbappe and Neymar, but by the hour mark it was 2-2 after strikes from Bafode Diakite and Jonathan David.
Incredibly, Jonathan Bamba then made it 3-2 to Lille with 20 minutes to go and it looked set to be an embarrassing day for Christophe Galtier's side and a fourth straight defeat in all competitions.
Things soon turned around though as Mbappe equalised thanks to some great work from Juan Bernat with three minutes to play and then deep in stoppage time, Messi scored a free-kick and bagged his 699th career goal.