Neymar 'Does Not Have the Profile' to Be PSG Captain, Says Thomas Tuchel
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel has played down suggestions that Neymar could be handed the armband at the French champions and says he "does not have the profile" to be club captain.
Tuchel spoke to Canal Plus (h/t Goal's Daniel Lewis) about the Brazil international after Saturday's 2-1 win over Angers in Ligue 1.
"We have two captains, with Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, and we are not going to change. For me, [Neymar] does not have the profile to be the captain with the armband.
"He is a technical leader and attacker. I do not understand why everyone is talking about this thing. We have Thiago Silva and Marquinhos, they are fantastic."
Neymar was on target in Saturday's victory with his 15th Ligue 1 goal of the season and showed off some of his skills:
The match is expected to be Neymar's final game of the season for PSG, as he has been banned for three matches after he struck a fan following the club's French Cup final defeat to Rennes:
PSG have confirmed they will appeal the ban:
However, Tuchel has told reporters that PSG must "accept the suspension" and feels Neymar "can be a leader with his qualities, his courage" but that he wants to keep Thiago Silva and Marquinhos as his captains.
The sanction is not the first Neymar has received this season. He has also been handed a three-match UEFA Champions League ban for an Instagram post criticising match officials in the wake of PSG's defeat to Manchester United.
While Neymar is not likely to get the PSG armband any time soon, he was named Brazil captain by manager Tite in September 2018. He said at the time that "this responsibility will be a good thing to me," according to Tommaso Fiore at Sky Sports News.
Yet Neymar's behaviour this season and the sanctions he has received show that he still lacks maturity and has work to do if he is to shake off a reputation for petulance.
While there is no denying Neymar's quality and his importance to PSG, it is also easy to see why Tuchel is unwilling to make the Brazilian the leader of his team at the Parc des Princes.
