According to former Paris Saint-Germain winger Nene, Neymar was “stressed” because of the controversy caused by his disagreement with teammate Edinson Cavani over a penalty kick.
A second-half penalty during the 2-0 home win over Lyon back in September is the root of the issues, and the incident is still hovering over the club and still discussed hotly in the media.
“Neymar has never told me that he is disappointed by the treatment he receives in France — he has never said anything like that to me,” Nene said, according to RMC Sport.
“For sure, he perhaps expected a few things to be easier than they are in reality but this is football — we cannot predict everything.
“Everybody in his entourage knew that he was going to need to adapt. After all, it is a new challenge.
“At the start, patience is required. Of course, there have been a few moments that have been less than enjoyable.”
Asked if the issue with Cavani was a factor, he said: “Yes, perhaps he was a little stressed because of that.”
Nene said “it is normal that this happened in the moment but it will not have consequences,” saying that Neymar had maybe been “a little impatient.”
“I gave him my opinion,” Nene said. “I explained to him about the city, the club and the infrastructure.
“I told him that he would have nothing to regret in leaving Barcelona. With Barca, he had won everything, so I said: ‘Imagine you go to Paris for a new challenge, with the same structures that you have in Barcelona and maybe better. On top of that, you will have a great team, it is a beautiful city, you will have everything that you want and you will be their great player — the star of the team. If you win a Champions League with PSG, it will be worth 100 times more than if you do it again with Barca.’”
Neymar is suspended for Saturday’s home game with Lille in Ligue 1.
