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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Kieran King

France legend slams "insufferable" Neymar and says latest injury is "stroke of luck" for PSG

France legend Christophe Dugarry has hit out at Neymar and believes his season-ending injury is a blessing in disguise for Paris Saint-Germain ahead of their clash with Bayern Munich.

Christophe Galtier's PSG face the German giants in the Champions League second-leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening as they try and overturn a 1-0 deficit. Kingsley Coman struck the only goal of the match for Julian Nagelsmann's men in the first-leg on February 14.

However, the Parisiens will be without Brazil ace Neymar for the game after he suffered an ankle injury in a 4-3 win over Lille a fortnight ago. The 30-year-old is now expected to miss until at least the end of the campaign and may not feature for the club again as rumours begin to circulate over his future.

"I'm glad for PSG that Neymar is injured. I believe it's an amazing stroke of luck for Christophe Galtier," Dugarry told RMC Sport, via Get French Football News, in a wild blast at the former Barcelona star. "This team is way more balanced with a five-man defence, three midfielders and a [Lionel] Messi/[Kylian] Mbappé duo."

In a statement on Monday evening, PSG confirmed that Neymar would be undergoing surgery on his ankle after suffering with similar injuries for several years. They also announced that it will take around three to four months before Neymar is back on the training pitch with the rest of his teammates.

"Neymar Jr has sustained a number of instances of instability in his right ankle in recent years. Following his latest sprain on 20 February, the Paris Saint-Germain medical staff recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence," a club statement read.

Neymar goes off injured during PSG's win over Lille (2023 Xavier Laine)

"All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity. The surgery will be performed in the next few days at the ASPETAR hospital in Doha. It will take 3 to 4 months before he can return to training with the team."

This is huge blow for PSG heading into a crucial stage of the season as they aim to win the Champions League for the first time. Neymar has scored 18 goals and notched 17 assists in all competitions this term.

But Duggary admitted that Neymar is "insufferable" on the pitch and claimed he does not want to see him playing for PSG anymore due to his ball-playing actions. He added: "I can’t bear to see him. I just can’t anymore. I find him insufferable in his dribbling, his behaviour. I don’t want to see him on a pitch any more."

Meanwhile, Neymar posted an update to fans on Monday about his injury and insisted that he will return to have a huge impact once he has recovered from his surgery. The Brazilian posted a picture of himself looking dejected on Instagram with the simple caption: "I'll come back stronger."

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