Troyes vs PSG - Unai Emery happy with treatment of injured Neymar

Paris St Germain coach Unai Emery maintains the club followed the correct procedure over the diagnosis and treatment of Neymar’s metatarsal injury.

The world’s most expensive player suffered the injury during PSG’s win over Marseille on Sunday, leading to three days’ worth of speculation over how it would be treated.

The Ligue 1 leaders announced on Wednesday evening that Neymar, who also has a sprained ankle, will go under the knife in his native Brazil, with the surgery set for Saturday.

The reported three-month lay-off means the Brazil international will miss not only next week’s second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid, but also quite possibly the remainder of the French domestic campaign.

“Obstáculos não devem te impedir. Se você encontrar uma parede, não desista. Descubra como escalá-la.” 🙏🏽

A post shared by Nj 🇧🇷 👻 neymarjr (@neymarjr) on Feb 28, 2018 at 2:10pm PST

The 26-year-old forward, though, should return in time to join up with Brazil ahead of the World Cup in Russia, which gets under way on June 14.

Emery addressed the issue over the club’s handling of Neymar’s injury announcement when speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s Ligue 1 trip to relegation battlers Troyes.

The Spaniard defended PSG’s approach, saying: “When this injury hits a player as important as Neymar, a lot of information comes out with speculation about his fate.

“Internally, we communicated clearly and followed the advice from first our doctor, also the (Brazil) national team doctor and our sporting director.

“Since his injury, we have been looking for the best decision for the player and for the team. The first exams showed an ankle twist, and then we detected a crack, a more serious injury than we thought.

“I saw the X-ray, I cannot say whether there is a fracture or not, but I saw the crack of the fifth metatarsal. I had this injury, (so) I know it.

“The doctor from Brazil had a meeting with the club and with the president. There is a recovery process. We hope to do without him the shortest time possible.

“Neymar is an important player, but we will have to produce an answer without him.”

Initially, Emery had suggested that surgery was not a foregone conclusion after the French club tried to treat the injury conservatively, before the decision to operate was made.

The player’s father Neymar Sr claimed it could be eight weeks before he plays again.

Despite all of the speculation and media attention, Emery accepts it was always going to be that way given Neymar’s profile.

“Many things that come out are not true. We are not going to spend our time confirming or denying (the reports),” he said.

“Inside the club we are united and strong. We talk a lot around PSG and it is normal, (because) it is a big club.”

Emery confirmed the foot problem suffered by Kylian Mbappe in the midweek Coupe de France win over Marseille means he is doubtful for the fixture against Troyes.

With their hosts fighting for points at the other end of the table, Emery is not taking anything for granted.

“This match is a good opportunity for the team to progress and work,” he added.