There has been much criticism as of late over Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to not only play but also start Neymar in the recent Coupe de France Round of 64 fixture against Caen.
The PSG star wound up suffering a left adductor injury in the second half of the match. He is currently projected to miss up to four weeks of action due to this injury.
But according to a new report, Pochettino was not the one who made the lone and final call to start Neymar in the match. According to Telefoot, it was rather Neymar himself who personally requested to start in the match.
The Brazilian wanted to feature in this match after only playing in 25 minutes in the previous fixture against Olympique de Marseille, per the report. This would suggest that he wanted to remain in top form and dust off any rust ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg clash against FC Barcelona, which he will now miss due to the injury.
Pochettino later admitted that he had planned to sub off Neymar in the second half of the Caen fixture, even though his side held a slim 1-0 lead. But in the end, the Argentine manager instead watched as his superstar talent suffered yet another adductor injury.
For now, PSG will have to look to other players to step up for the upcoming Barca showdown.
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