Thomas Tuchel has said Neymar Jr. remains very much in his plans at Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the champions' trip to Rennes on Sunday.
Neymar was not named in the squad for PSG's opening day 3-0 win over Nîmes Olympique and will not make the trip to Roazhon Park, but Tuchel is still planning with the Brazilian despite reported interest from other clubs.
"He started the training session with us, but finished individually," the German tactician said at his pre-match press conference. "It's little too early for him to start a match, especially at Rennes. He's my player, though, and if I think about a strong team then it includes him."
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"He's sensitive, so I'll always protect him. He needs to train with us and raise his intensity. I want to see him play at his best level for 90 minutes, with aggression and lots of dribbling."
Summer signing Idrissa Gueye has travelled to Brittany, although the former Everton midfielder is unlikely to shake off a niggling knee injury in time to start on Sunday.
"Integration's easy with Idrissa," said Tuchel. "He can talk with everyone, he's very polite and humble. He has to adapt to our style of play and our principles. This game comes a little too early for him but he'll make the trip."
