Neymar Injuries Are Reaching Crisis Point-And PSG Hierarchy Is Justified In Its Anger

Last Thursday, as Brazil took on Senegal in an international friendly, Neymar ambled around the pitch, looking only periodically interested in the fact that there was a football match going on around him. In the second half especially, he was conspicuous in his anonymity.

All players, even the very best, are allowed an off day. But this seemed like something more; it appeared he was actively trying to avoid getting on the ball. For all the many criticisms that are flung at Neymar, he could never, ever be accused of not wanting to be involved in the play when his team is in possession. For Brazil - when he is on the field - he is composer and conductor.

Exactly what the issue was became clear on Sunday, when Brazil ran out for their second game of the international break, this time against Nigeria. After eight minutes, Brazil's No.10 set off towards the opposition goal, fighting for the ball with Leicester City player Wilfred Ndidi. Mid-sprint, Neymar pulled up, putting his hand on his left hamstring and immediately signalling to the bench.

Whether it was conscious or not, Neymar must have taken his foot off the gas against Senegal because he was feeling the early warning signs of an injury. It is, after all, a sensation with which he is well acquainted.

He played on, trying to shake off the discomfort, but it was to no avail and he was replaced by Philippe Coutinho with just 12 minutes on the clock. Back in Paris, his club manager Thomas Tuchel must have been shaking his head with a mixture of disbelief and disgust - his $250m man was injured again.

Neymar will now miss a month of action, during which time Paris Saint-Germain are set to play six times, starting with Friday's encounter with Nice at the Allianz Riviera stadium. The Nice game will be the 122nd the club has played in the two-and-a-bit seasons since Les Parisiens paid that world-record-shattering transfer fee. Of those, it will be the 53rd Neymar has missed through injury.

As well as the Nice tie, the Brazilian will sit out league games against PSG's biggest rivals Marseille, as well as Dijon and Brest. And sprinkled between those matches, Tuchel's team will play Club Brugge twice in the Champions League.

Given that Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappé, PSG's other two main attacking threats, are now returning from injuries of their own, PSG should cope against Brugge. But as the Belgian side showed in their last European outing, when they traveled to Madrid and drew 1-1 with Real, they are no pushovers.

The games were also supposed to mark Neymar's return to the Champions League following suspension. The forward was banned for two matches by UEFA after a social media outburst in the wake of PSG's defeat to Manchester United in last year's round-of-16 tie, in which he insulted the referee.

The reason he was able to access social media in the heat of the moment? He was out injured, of course. And that, really, has been the story of the Brazilian's time in France.

PSG's season is effectively defined by seven games between February and May - from the last-16 to the final of Europe's most prestigious tournament. Given they usually win the league at a canter, the search for European silverware consumes the Paris club. It is, in large part, why they were willing to spend so much to bring Neymar in.

But in the two full seasons he has spent there, he has only played in one Champions League knock-out game, the 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in 2018. In both 2018 and 2019, he missed the entire spring fixture list with the same injury - a fractured metatarsal in his right foot.

After the latest injury, PSG are reported to be extremely frustrated with the CBF, the Brazilian national football federation. According to Brazilian site UOL Esporte, the French club considered the Brazilians' decision to play their friendlies in Singapore "abusive".

Certainly, it is a strange location for two soccer matches between the South American champions and two of the top West African nations. In addition to the long flight and six-hour time difference, the match was played in 86-degree heat and 80% humidity.

Though not ideal, it is not an unusual situation for Brazil. The CBF sold the rights to organise their friendly games to a British company called Pitch, so Brazil follow the money, going to whichever country places the highest bid to host the matches. In the last year, the Seleção has played in Saudi Arabia, Miami, California and Portugal.

So, PSG are right to be annoyed. Leonardo, the club's Brazilian director, has reportedly been in contact with the Brazilian coaching staff. But they cannot leave him out at his club's behest. If they are playing friendlies designed to make money, Brazil cannot leave its star attraction in Paris to get some rest.

Neymar, PSG and Brazil, then, will have to find a way around it together.

Neymar, for his part, may need to adjust his natural instincts. He is a showman who loves a trick and a flick, but that has got him into trouble. His second metatarsal injury, for example, was caused by an aggressive challenge from a Strasbourg player in a Coupe de France game in February.

The Brazilian had been targeted all game and was clattered when trying to take a player on, when he could have released a pass instead. He should get more protection from referees of course, but that is out of his control and he must deal with the reality of the situation.

Brazil and PSG, for their part, must control how much he is required to play and perhaps adjust the way he trains. When he is on international duty, he could be used more sparingly in games - playing one half, perhaps - and given an individualized training regime.

With PSG, he must be saved from the easier league games to keep him fresher for when the meaningful ties come around later in the season.

After also missing the Copa America with ruptured ankle ligaments, this is now Neymar's sixth injury in 24 months. It is a situation that will undoubtedly cause friction - but club, country and player must come together to solve it, because an injured Neymar is good for no-one.