Tite does not know the limits of 'lethal' Neymar's talent

Dom Farrell

Tite does not know the limits of 'lethal' Neymar's talent image

Neymar's talents know no bounds in the eyes of Brazil head coach Tite after the superstar forward made a dazzling return to his starting line-up.

The world's most expensive player came back from a broken metatarsal last weekend to rifle in a game-sealing goal in the 2-0 win over Croatia at Anfield.

A reintroduction to the starting line-up following on Sunday in Vienna and Neymar's lavish skills left Aleksandar Dragovic on his backside before slotting home Brazil's second in a 3-0 win over Austria .

Gabriel Jesus and Philippe Coutinho were also on target seven days out from the Selecao's World Cup opener against Switzerland.

"I do not even know the limit of Neymar," Tite told reporters afterwards.

"His technical and creative ability is impressive. When we release him in the last third of the field, he's lethal."

The goal moved the PSG star to joint-third all-time in Brazil's scoring charts , though he still sits 22 goals back of all-time leader Pele's 77. 

Neymar completed 83 minutes before making way for Douglas Costa – a decision Tite explained was taken as a precaution against any potential muscular strains for his star man.

Fernandinho dropping to the bench to accommodate Neymar and give Coutinho a central role was the only alteration to the side that faced Croatia but Tite once again refuted suggestions his XI to take on Switzerland in Rostov is locked in.

"On Friday I pick the team. Now I'm still on adrenaline," he said at his post-match news conference.

"The competitive concentration of these athletes is commendable.

"Today this team has set an example and is maturing. We came into a game with lots of [physical] contact and had a great performance."

Brazil also face Costa Rica and Serbia in Group E. 

Dom Farrell

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.