Tuchel confirms Neymar ready to face Monaco

Thomas Tuchel explained that Neymar trained alone on Friday in order to safeguard his recovery from a hamstring injury, and the Paris Saint-Germain coach confirmed the forward is fit to face Monaco.

The Ligue 1 leaders face 13th-placed Monaco at Stade Louis II on Sunday, and Tuchel said the club has been carefully managing Neymar’s fitness in order to ensure his availability.

The Brazil international played the second half of PSG’s 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, yet Tuchel opted to keep him isolated from the squad during training.

Explaining why, he told reporters: “Because he felt something in the adductors after the game, we didn’t take any risks.

“So he did individual training. That way, we can control it better. Today [Saturday] he trained with us without any problem, I think.

“He’s with the team, he can play.”

Preparing for our trip to Monaco #ASMPSG

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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) November 29, 2019

PSG’s equaliser against Madrid came from Pablo Sarabia, who score eight minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute in a frantic spell.

Tuchel was pleased to see his €18million pre-season signing from Sevilla among the goals as he explained the challenge facing Sarabia as he adapts to his new, deeper midfield role.

“It’s difficult for him to get a job like [he had] at Sevilla,” Tuchel said of Sarabia. “At Sevilla, he had a position a little similar to that of Angel Di Maria here, or that of Ney [Neymar] or Kylian [Mbappe].

“He is a key player on the field. We recruited him because he is able to take responsibility, to play 50 or 60 matches per season. But now he has another role.

“He must adapt to our game, to our players. But he has played a lot of matches and he is very important to us because he gives intensity with and without the ball. He has aggression and we lack that in our game.

“He defends well, too. He is reliable and responsible. He has a good influence on our team.

“I’m very happy that it’s him who scored [against Madrid] because he always gives everything during training.”