Tuchel says Neymar is committed to PSG

Thomas Tuchel says Neymar is 100 percent committed to Paris Saint-Germain after he scored the winner against Lyon in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

Despite being surrounded by four defenders in the 87th minute, Neymar created enough space to shoot past Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopez into the far corner of the net to win the match 1-0.

It comes a week after Neymar’s decisive goal for PSG against Strasbourg, and Tuchel praised the forward’s recent goalscoring form despite his relative lack of match fitness.

“He is 100 per cent with us. He is 100 per cent in the squad – he laughs and jokes and is reliable,” Tuchel told a news conference.

Neymar has scored the winning goal in his first two appearances this season

“He is totally there with his team-mates. That is normal, as well as necessary. He is a very sensitive guy.

“This is only his third match in four months. He will gain in physical capacity with the matches and this will help him. Neymar is always decisive, he is always creative and he looks ahead.”

The Brazil international was booed by a section of home fans during PSG’s previous league match against Strasbourg, having been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona during the summer transfer window.

But he has received the full support of his team-mates, with captain Thiago Silva praising the 27-year-old’s moment of magic that put league leaders PSG on 15 points from six games, seven clear of their ninth-placed opponents Lyon.

“Ultimately, it was Neymar’s action [which made the difference],” Silva told Canal Plus. “On the pitch, I could not understand what he had done.

“Sometimes, we say it is easy and that the defender has let him turn, but that was not easy. In training, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe do incredible things and we profited from this phenomenon’s quality here.”

Report by Sky Sports