13.09.2019 15:22 h

Neymar could make PSG return Saturday: Tuchel

Neymar could return to action for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday following four months of absence after the Brazilian was selected in the matchday squad for the Ligue 1 match against Strasbourg.

PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said on Friday: "We have 'Ney' in our squad, for sure", adding "he needs to make his comeback".

Neymar, the world's most expensive player, has had to come to terms with the prospect of a third season in Ligue 1 after PSG and his former club Barcelona failed to agree terms on a move before the transfer window shut on September 2.

The 27-year-old has since been away on international duty for Brazil in two friendly matches in the United States, scoring one goal and making another in a 2-2 draw with Colombia and then coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 loss to Peru.

Those were his first appearances this season after he was left out of French champions PSG's opening four league games amid uncertainty over his future.

Asked if he feared Neymar would receive a hostile reception from the Parc des Princes crowd after supporters held up a banner reading "Neymar, get lost" at a match in August when it appeared he was about to join Barcelona, Tuchel said the fans' reaction was beyond his control.

"I can understand that all the supporters are not happy at the moment. But I can't influence this reaction or control the supporters," Tuchel said. "The only thing that I can control is my team."