Neymar has 'many years' left at the top, says Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino

believes

only needs to reestablish his rhythm in order to regain his best form. Neymar, the Brazilian superstar, has had another injury-plagued season for Paris Saint-Germain, with the 30-year-old making just 22 appearances in all competitions.

That's 16 fewer than

, the former Barcelona attacker who has arguably outshined him since they both came to Paris in 2017. Last time out, Neymar showed his worth with two terrific goals in PSG's 5-1 hammering of Lorient, but it was Mbappe who stole the show with a brace of superb strikes and three assists, with

, the last star of Pochettino's offensive trio, also netting.

From a creative standpoint, it wasn't for a lack of trying. Neymar, on the other hand, did not go down without a fight in terms of creativity, as he led the way with five key passes and had the same number of shots on target (three) as Mbappe, while his double brought him closer to his 200th goal in European football since joining

Barcelona

from Santos in 2013.

Despite the fact that Neymar's 12 direct goal contributions this season pale in comparison to Mbappe's 45, Pochettino is sure that his fellow South American will be able to reclaim his best form sooner rather than later.

"PSG signed Neymar because of his quality, and it has been obvious to all," Pochettino said ahead of Saturday's match against Clermont. "He's had a string of injuries, with ups and downs. Soon after [I] came [at PSG], Neymar was injured.

"We've worked hard to get him back, and he, like any other attacker, requires rhythm and practice to feel comfortable. I have no doubt that Neymar will continue to impress. He'll set his sights higher." Marquinhos, another of PSG's Brazil regulars, has battled for form in recent weeks, albeit on the opposite end of the pitch.

The center-back has been a reliable performer in the French capital, but he and the rest of PSG's defense had a bad showing in the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on March 9. Marquinhos has only committed one blunder that resulted in a shooting this season, and it was against PSG when

Karim Benzema

scored in Los Blancos' epic comeback triumph.

This season, he has made 33 starts, logging 2,952 minutes and contributing to PSG's 12 clean sheets, albeit he was particularly careless against Lorient. Pochettino has decided to rest Marquinhos after he and his girlfriend welcomed a kid this week. The 27-year-old is also struggling with minor injury difficulties.

"The game in Madrid and being knocked out of the Champions League has hurt everyone," Pochettino stated. "We were better than Madrid in every aspect of the game, but things didn't go our way in the end. Marquinhos will be absent from the Clermont match. We've opted to rest him because he's suffered a few injuries.

"Throughout the season, every player goes through different phases, but Marquinhos is a steady performer. He is our captain and a good player, and he has very high expectations. Due to the unavailability of Marquinhos,

Sergio Ramos

may be called into the starting lineup. Now that Marquinhos is unavailable, that's something I'm considering about," Pochettino stated.

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