Neymar has accused Paris Saint-Germain of letting him “suffer” claiming the French champions were afraid to play him ahead of the Champions League last-16 clash with Borussia Dortmund.
The Brazilian scored on his first appearance for over two weeks in the 2-1 defeat on Tuesday night in Germany.
Neymar missed four games with a rib injury before the Dortmund defeat, but the 28-year-old said he should have been playing in that time.
“It is difficult to spend four matches without playing, but, unfortunately, it was not my choice,” Neymar told French broadcaster RMC Sport. “It was a choice made by the club, the doctors. They took this decision and I did not like it.
“We had lots of discussions about this because I wanted to play. I felt good but the club was scared. In the end, I am the one who suffers.”
Neymar was missing through injury when PSG went out of the Champions League in the last two seasons, against Real Madrid and Manchester United.
“I understand the fear that the club was suffering from, because in the last two years I was not able to play in the round of 16,” Neymar said.
“I respect the decision, but it cannot be like this, because the player ends up suffering. It was very difficult to play a match like this, intense, 90 minutes without stopping. It is different.
“Had I been in better shape, I would certainly have played better.”
Additonal reporting by PA
