By now everyone should know that Neymar Jr. no longer plays for Barcelona. The striker and playmaker is now one of the key players for Paris Saint-Germain, and rightfully so. The club spent $265 million to snatch him from Spain, and so far, he’s doing well.
However, not everyone believes Barcelona did a good thing by releasing the Brazilian. One such person is Ivan Rakitic. From his point of view, Barcelona should have kept Neymar, primarily because he likes having him on the team and because he’s a good person.
In an interview with the BBC, Rakitic made it clear that Neymar was an important player in the dressing room as if he could boost the morale of the other players before a game or during the halftime break.
However, one should point out that Neymar wanted to leave, and Barcelona didn’t make it overly complicated.
It’s not clear what led to Neymar and Barcelona falling out. Some say the Brazilian didn’t want to spend the rest of his career playing second fiddle to Lionel Messi. The Argentinian is well-respected by the fans, and as long as he’s a central part of Barcelona’s attacking plans, no one will be of more importance.
Quality replacements have arrived
Rakitic can rest easy because Dembele has come in as a decent replacement for Neymar. The 20-year-old manage to score on his debut, and throughout the entire game, he looked good. He just needs to settle into the Barcelona style of play, and before long, everyone should forget about Neymar.
Unfortunately, forgetting the Brazilian may take some time since Dembele is injured. He picked up a hamstring injury that could put him out of action for four months. The reasons for this has much to do with the surgery required to get him up and running again.
There is some good news, as Dembele hinted that he could cut his out time in half.
This means he could spend two months in rehabilitation instead of the four months reported by the press and Barcelona.
Both Messi and Suarez will have to kick into gear since with Dembele out; things will only get more difficult.
Neymar and Cavani living dangerously
Paris Saint-Germain is a quality club, even more so with Neymar as one of the primary attackers.
Since he began playing for the club, things seemed to be going rather well, but that might not be the case. Just recently, both Neymar and Cavani had arguments over who should take a penalty kick, a clear sign that both men are fighting for dominance.
It shouldn’t be surprising if Cavani leaves PSG next year if the infighting continues.
