AS IT LOOKS

like I’m not going to get the trip to Russia this summer with England that I wanted, I’ve been thinking about the players I most want to see in the World Cup. Neymar (right) is right at the top of my list so it was a concern to see pictures of him in a wheelchair, heading back to Brazil this week with a broken bone in his foot. You would hope, with three and a half months to the tournament kicking off, that he will be fit, but this is far from ideal. Since he moved to Paris Saint-Germain last summer, I think he’s gone up another level. He wanted a stage away from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Barcelona and while the £198million transfer fee was huge, his average of a goal per game shows how good he has been in France. The ratio is ridiculously good. Without him in their line-up, I can’t see PSG overturning a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Real Madrid in the Champions League this week. Brazil will be praying their star man is ready for action in June. Footballers with the gifts of Neymar are what the game should be about.