“I think he was a little bit scared of Christophe Galtier, so decided to work very well” – Frank Leboeuf makes interesting claim about PSG superstar Neymar

Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has been impressed by Neymar Jr's performances for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during the early stages of the new season. The forward has been absolutely brilliant for the Ligue 1 champions in the absence of Kylian Mbappe.

The Brazilian forward had an excellent pre-season tour of Japan and has carried his good form into the 2022-23 season. The forward scored a brace against Gamba Osaka in PSG's final pre-season game in Japan.

Neymar also scored a brace against Nantes in a 4-0 win in the Trophee des Champions on July 31.

However, his performance against Clermont Foot in the opening game of the new Ligue 1 campaign caught the eye of Frank Leboeuf.

The former FC Barcelona superstar scored once and secured a hat-trick of assists as the Parisian giants secured a 5-1 win over their opponents. Lionel Messi also scored a brace on that occasion, which included an overhead goal.

Leboeuf praised Neymar's performance after the game against Clermont. The former player-turned-pundit believes the arrival of new manager Christophe Galtier has played a new part in his revival in form.

Speaking to ESPN FC, Frank Leboeuf said:

“No, I was right last year, I was right. Maybe I might be wrong this season, if I say that he is bad. But I won’t because he's been absolutely fantastic for the pre-season and it's been very good tonight."

He added:

“So it's only fair to say that Neymar worked hard. Maybe I think he was a little bit scared of Christophe Galtier, so decided to work very well, physically. A technical player, if he worked physically, is at his top and it's what he showed today.”

It is worth mentioning that the Brazilian superstar had an injury-hit season for PSG last time around. He only managed to make 28 appearances for the French giants across all competitions but still contributed 13 goals and eight assists.

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What is Neymar's contract situation at PSG at the moment?

Neymar has a contract with PSG until the summer of 2025. The 30-year-old forward penned a new four-year contract with the Ligue 1 giants last summer.

It is worth mentioning that there were rumors linking the Brazilian forward with a move away from the Parc des Princes this summer.

According to The Mirror, the forward reached out to Premier League giants Chelsea over a possible transfer last month. This move came after he learned that PSG could be open to offloading him in the transfer window.