Thomas Tuchel wants to give Neymar a platform to perform at Paris St Germain.
Neymar joined the Parisiens last summer in a record-breaking £200million move from Barcelona, but speculation has persisted in recent months that he is already looking for a move back to Spain.
Tuchel, who has replaced Unai Emery as PSG coach this week, used his introductory press conference to outline his plans for the Brazil star.
“I met him last Sunday,” he said in comments reported by L’Equipe. “It was a good meeting. He is an artist, an exceptional player, one of the best players in the world. He does not need special treatment, he must find a structure where he can express himself. I really liked the meeting we had. We will build a structure for him to express himself here.”
Tuchel, who is returning to coaching a year after being sacked by Borussia Dortmund and whose only trophy to date was the DFB-Pokal in 2017, said he was not daunted by the number of star names in PSG’s squad.
“In my opinion, the great players are the easiest to manage,” he said. “They know what to do. They have won a lot of trophies. I am not afraid of star names, of big names, they know what the high level is all about.
“I have won one title, but PSG made me understand they are looking for a leader, a coach with a vision, and I am very happy to have their confidence.”
PSG are committed to making Kylian Mbappe’s loan from Monaco permanent this summer for a huge fee – reportedly £166million – but Tuchel said he had no other plans for the transfer market at this stage.
“If the transfer window closed today I would be happy,” he said. “There are many good players, it’s not like I came here with demands. I need to get to know the players, who they are. If we discover we need to bring in another player, we will do it. Sometimes you have to let young people develop.”