‘Neymar needs summer rest’

Guillem Balague says the decision for Neymar to play for Brazil in the Olympics rather than Copa America gives him a much-needed rest.

Barcelona announced on Wednesday night that the Brazil captain will play at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for his country but will skip the Copa America, despite previously stating he wanted to play in both.

The Brazilian FA had asked for his release, but Barcelona did not want to lose the striker for so long and feared that his participation in both events could affect his preparations for next season.

The confederation and the club had been in talks for several months before finally reaching a deal, and Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Balague believes the move is good PR for the Brazilian forward at present.

“The reaction in Barcelona is that most people believed Neymar was not going to rest enough. We’ve seen Neymar take some trips to Brazil, not just to do with football, and there’s a lot of negative publicity in the direction of Neymar, so this is a good PR for himself in the eyes of the fans.

“I think most fans understand he needs to rest, as rest is as important …

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