Brazilian star Neymar Jr is ruled out of Paris Saint-Germain's next Ligue 1 game against Nantes, a club statement has confirmed. The 27-year-old forward who hosted a lavish birthday party 24 hours after his side's win over Montpelier on Saturday is said to have picked up a rib injury in the encounter.
In what was a resounding 5-0 home win for Les Parisiens at Parc des Princes, Neymar - who assisted Kylian Mbappe's goal for the game's fourth- was subjected to cruel tackles throughout the proceeding. Needless to say, that did not stop the former Barcelona talisman, who turns 28 on February 5th, from hosting his family, friends and teammate to a private pre-birthday party.
In the aftermath of Paris Saint-Germain's win over Montpelier, the club's head coach Thomas Tuchel branded the said party as a 'distraction' as he expected his players to rest for their next game with Nantes.
"Sunday is not good [for Neymar's birthday party]," Tuchel said.
"However, I am neither his father, nor handler, nor agent -- I am just his coach. "I will not say if I am going [to Neymar's party] or not. You can wait until Sunday. It is off-topic.
"Neymar's night is a distraction, obviously, and I always protect my players. I love them lots and prefer to talk internally. If there are hard truths to be said, I prefer to do it internally."
In a news conference on Monday, the German manager reiterated his words although he stressed that his lineup will not be influenced by the timing of Neymar's party.
"Is it the best way to prepare for a match? No. Is it the worst thing in the world? No." he added.
According to a report by French publication Le Parisien, Thomas Tuchel and other figure heads at PSG were not in attendance at the party although a number of Neymar's teammates were spotted. The likes of Edinson Cavani, Mauro Icardi, Marco Verratti, Marcin Bulka, Thiago Silva, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Leandro Paredes were seen in action graced in all-white outfits as per the party's theme.
Cavani, Verratti and Memphis turned up for Neymar's all-white birthday party in Paris pic.twitter.com/cRQWSwMdZT
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 3, 2020
Kylian Mbappe, having made headlines after a confrontation with manager Thomas Tuchel during Saturday's game, reportedly arrived late after attending an event at Disneyland Paris. While the French striker is fit and available for the trip to Nantes, the same cannot be said for a number of his teammates.
Evidently, his attacking partner Neymar will be amiss while Abdou Diallo, Juan Bernat, Colin Dagba, Marquinhos, and Thiago Silva are not fit enough to be selected by Thomas Tuchel.
