Mauricio Pochettino hopes his star Brazilian Neymar has not sustained a serious injury in the match at St Etienne, but the Paris St Germain coach has conceded that the images he has seen of the incident do not look good.
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Neymar had to be taken off on a stretcher late on in the 3-1 win and was later pictured leaving the ground on crutches on Sunday.
While hopeful the forward will make a swift recovery, Pochettino explained that PSG must wait for a full diagnosis on Monday.
"There is nothing more to say for the moment. It is the pain he felt in the leg with his ankle that turned. We will have the exams tomorrow and we will see," Pochettino told a news conference.
Pochettino had earlier said: "From the images, I hope that it's not a big deal and that he will be back with the squad quickly. But the action is not good."
Neymar subsequently posted an update to his official Instagram account.
"Let's recover, unfortunately these setbacks are part of an athlete's life," he wrote. "Now that's what you have, lift your head and let's go. I'll come back better and stronger."
Should Neymar face a lengthy absence, PSG can at least rest assured they can still field a star-studded front three, with Di Maria proving his worth against St Etienne as he scored in successive league appearances for the first time since November 2019.
PSG also, of course, have Lionel Messi, who provided all three assists in the victory - the third time in his career he has set up three goals in a single league match.
Australian Associated Press
