Christophe Galtier insists Neymar's ankle injury was not 'bad luck'
By Tom Gott
Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has pointed the finger at those responsible for football's hectic schedule for Neymar's latest ankle injury.
Neymar was stretchered off early in the second half of PSG's chaotic 4-3 victory over Lille, having already scored and provided an assist, and has since been diagnosed with a sprained ankle.
Scans on Neymar's injury 'did not reveal any fracture', according to a club statement.
“This is not bad luck,” Galtier said when asked an update on Neymar's condition. “There are always reasons for injuries - the schedule, the sequence of games. It is never random. He is being examined to know the severity of his sprain.
“Of course, it complicates things and that’s the way it is. We have to keep our heads down. We’re going to do it again, but with a victory. That is more pleasant.”
PSG have only just reunited their superstar trio after Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi returned from injury problems, but now Neymar appears set for a spell on the sidelines with an injury to the same ankle he damaged during the World Cup.
The injury issue comes at a bad time for Galtier, with PSG set to travel to face second-placed Marseille on Sunday - a repeat of the recent Coupe de France fixture, in which Marseille came out on top.
The Parisians then host Nantes on the following Saturday before the second leg of their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
Bayern secured a 1-0 win away from home against a PSG side who were below full strength, and Galtier will be desperate to avoid a similar fate in the return fixture.