Neymar Racing Against Time To Face Manchester United

By Max Wise

Paris-Saint Germain’s Brazilian superstar, Neymar, is fighting to be fit for the UEFA Champions League clash against Manchester United on February 12.

The Brazilian playmaker is struggling to recover from the ankle injury he sustained against Strasbourg in the Coupe de France last week.

Speaking after PSG’s 4-1 win over Rennes in the Ligue 1 on Sunday, manager Thomas Tuchel described Neymar’s chances of facing the Red Devils as ‘super difficult’.

"It's going to be super difficult," Tuchel told Canal Plus.

"As I explained [on Saturday] it's too early to talk about a return date. We have to wait for the first week, which is very important, and his reaction to treatment."

"Only after that can we be more precise. But it's going to be super difficult – that's not a secret."

Neymar’s latest injury is believed to be a recurrence of the ankle injury that ruled him out of action for three months last season and threatened his involvement at the World Cup.

The news comes as a big blow to Paris Saint Germain who are looking to make a big statement in Europe by converting their monopoly of the French league into serious Champions League contenders.

The French champions have never gone past the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier Cup competition.

The 26-year-old former Barcelona forward has scored 13 goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances and also found the back of the net five times in six Champions League group games as PSG finished top of a tough group that included Liverpool, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.