Tite hails ‘extraordinary’ return
Neymar proved his fitness for the World Cup with an explosive return to action that left Brazil manager Tite stunned as the superstar’s superb strike inspired Sunday’s 2-0 win over Croatia.
Tite couldn’t believe what he’d just seen from the striker in his first appearance since February.
“For the first match back I actually expected less from him! I would have been happy with a quieter performance,” Tite said.
“What he did was really extraordinary. Neymar is an extraordinary individual talent but the goal he scored came from a move, a build-up, involving the whole team.
“He’s aware of what they bring to him.”
Tite, who has now led Brazil to 16 victories in 20 games in charge, was keen to focus on his team’s efforts, rather than Neymar’s solo contribution.
But he knows the world’s most expensive soccer player was destined to steal the headlines from his side’s impressive World Cup warm-up victory.
“In terms of scoring, the responsibility doesn’t fall on his shoulders alone,” said the manager.
“He just has to keep working hard, like he is doing, working for the team and keep the team at the forefront of his mind.”
Brazil has returned to train in London, where it has been using the facilities of Premier League club Tottenham, before moving on to Vienna, where it will face Austria in its final warm-up friendly on Sunday.