Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Thomas Tuchel has now stated that he can understand the anger that his team’s fans have towards Neymar Jr after he attempted to leave the club and go back to Barcelona.
Notably, Neymar was booed and abused when he returned to action for the Ligue 1 side and scored a match-winning goal in injury time to help PGS win over Strasbourg.
The Brazilian is suspended for his team’s Champions League encounter on Wednesday. He, however, did not pay much heed to the harsh treatment he received. He only said that indeed all matches would now be “away games” for him now.
Tuchel, meanwhile, stated that all is between Tuchel and Neymar. He even stated that he can see why many fans have not forgiven Neymar.
“He did not want to be here. He tried everything that was in his power [to leave the club],” Tuchel was quoted as saying by DAZN.
“That did not help make him popular. You could feel that and I can understand it, if the crowd are angry, even permanently.
“Nevertheless, there is also a side between me as a coach and him as a player. There was never a break or a discrepancy. That’s why it was very easy for me to let him play,” he added.
“He has always trained professionally. I feel that the decision was a relief to him, even though it fell against his wish.
“Then the concentration and reflection on the task automatically occurs. As an athlete you will not have much else left. You have to give gas. He is hungry and a competitive guy who always wants to win.
“He has to withstand it now, that’s the reality. He has to go through, we have to go through all in the home games a bit. The best thing is to come to terms with it,” he concluded.