Brazil will face Switzerland in the World Cup on Monday without their talisman Neymar, ruled out by an ankle injury suffered in their opening 2-0 win against Serbia on Thursday, but midfielder Casemiro thinks they have a host of young talent to step in for him.
“We could spend several day talking about Neymar, the player he is, his qualities and how important he is for our team. It’s unavoidable, he is our biggest player, the difference maker in our team,” Casemiro told a news conference on Saturday.
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“However, we have other players that have been performing in the same level like Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus…
“We, those who play in the back end, often joke that we feel sorry for our rivals because we can replace Raphinha for Antony, Richarlison for Gabriel Jesus. We have Rodrygo, Gabriel Martinelli…
“We have a wide array of options [on the bench]. It’s great for us. But it does not change the fact that Neymar is our best player.”
