Emery calls for calm over Neymar injury, doesn't rule out eventual surgery

Unai Emery requested a little calm and patience for Neymar on Tuesday after Paris Saint-Germain confirmed he had suffered a sprained ankle and fractured metatarsal in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Marseille.

The manager refuted reports that Neymar is immediately set to undergo surgery, and said there is still a small chance that he can play against Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 duel on March 6.

“It is false (the report). No decision to operate has been taken,” Emery shared, as reported by ESPN. “I have met with the doctor and he told me that the sprain was swollen. His fifth metatarsal has a crack in it. We will take a decision in the coming days. However, for the moment, calm is needed.

“It is true that, today, the chances of Neymar being ready (to face Real Madrid) are smaller than they were last Sunday (after the Marseille match). He is always the first one to want to play in every match. I am patient. There is a small possibility that he will be ready to face Real. We are going to wait. He is a very important player for us, but we have other players capable of stepping in.”

The matches preceding the second leg against Real Madrid are another meeting with Marseille in the Coupe de France, and a league outing at Troyes. Reports straight after Paris Saint-Germain’s confirmation of Neymar’s injuries suggested that he could be sidelined until May, therefore putting his fitness under question for Brazil’s World Cup campaign this summer.

“To decide something important like this, patience and calm are required,” Emery continued. “There is a lot of speculation swirling around, but the truth is what I have just said, and that is based on what the doctor told me this morning.”

Paris Saint-Germain trails 3-1 following the first leg against Real Madrid despite taking the lead at the Bernabeu through Adrien Rabiot.