Neymar and Verratti injuries bad luck but PSG can cope, insists Tuchel

The Ligue 1 giants without two star players due to injury, but the coach insists his team can deal with their absence in important matches

Thomas Tuchel is adamant Paris Saint-Germain can cope without injured stars Marco Verratti and Neymar, even if the Brazilian’s problem has left the coach “sad”.

Neymar limped out of Wednesday’s 2-0 Coupe de France win over Strasbourg after appearing to twist his foot following a robust challenge from midfielder Moataz Zemzemi.

PSG issued a statement on Thursday to confirm Neymar hurt the same metatarsal he broke last February in a Ligue 1 win over Marseille.

Article continues below

Editors' Picks

Juve on alert: Exiled Icardi may have already played his final game for Inter Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders Liverpool put on a five-star show Lukaku sends reminder that his Man Utd career is far from over

As such, the thoughts of fans and pundits alike swiftly turned to PSG’s upcoming Champions League last-16 clash with resurgent Manchester United, as Tuchel’s men travel to Old Trafford on February 12.

Tuchel remains unclear as to how serious Neymar’s injury is, and while he rued the situation, he is confident they can handle it as a squad, with Verratti already out with an ankle issue.

“We will know more [about Neymar’s injury] in a week,” Tuchel told reporters. “Treatment has started, so we will see how it goes.

“I truly believe that we can handle the situation without Marco and Neymar. It is time to focus on Rennes and nothing else.

“Neymar and Marco are two key players, but we will find solutions – we have a great squad and players who can always make a difference.

“Injuries are bad luck. It hurts when you lose key players, but our staff are very intelligent.

“Marco is mentally strong. He comes [to the training ground] 12 hours every day. For Neymar, it is different.

“He came for some treatment on Friday. He is sad, I am sad too. It is horrible [to have suffered a recurrence], but we tried to avoid talking about his injury and we made him laugh instead.

“They are extraordinary players with great quality. We miss them and have no replacements, so it is a challenge to find solutions. We are a strong squad, though.”

One player who could potentially ease the loss of Verratti if he is ruled out for a while is Leandro Paredes.

The Argentina international is close to joining from Zenit, with Tuchel hopeful it can be completed in the next day or so.

“It’s not finished, I cannot talk too much about Leandro,” Tuchel said. “This transfer must be closed during the weekend. I have to wait.”