SINGAPORE — Neymar will “quickly bounce back” from his World Cup disappointment with Brazil, his Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has said.
Neymar and Brazil saw their hopes of lifting the trophy ended when Belgium beat them 2-1 in the quarterfinals, but Tuchel told a news conference ahead of the International Champions Cup game against Arsenal that he would bounce back.
“I do not think that Neymar needs any greater motivation than he already has,” he said. “Of course, the entire Brazil squad expected to do better and obviously it affects the players.
“Everybody here wants to help Neymar to feel good as soon as possible, to set his next goals and help him leave what happened at the World Cup in the past.
“Neymar is a great player and he knows how to handle wins and losses. In sport, you are presented with challenges, and he will quickly bounce back. Neymar is a champion.”
Tuchel also backed Timothy Weah, who scored his first senior PSG goal in the 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Austria in the ICC opener.
United States international Weah, 18, has already scored at senior level for his country and Tuchel tipped him to shine.
“This is a big opportunity for Timothy and he needs to seize his chance,” he said. “He is very fast, has great endurance, does not need long to recover and still remains one of the fastest.
“Now he must use this quality not just for himself but also for the team in order to become a dangerous, confident and professional player — these are the next steps for Timothy to take. He is intelligent and wants to learn, so he holds all the cards.”
Weah is likely to feature against Atletico Madrid in the final ICC clash in Singapore with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani yet to return from post-World Cup holidays.