Still need to get over my fear: Neymar

Brazilian superstar Neymar is well on the road to recovery and has already started gym sessions but, in an interview with the legendary Zico, the Selecao's current superstar revealed that he has some fears of stepping back out onto the pitch.
"The expectation [of returning to the pitch] is great. I'm working [towards that]. I have started walking again, but there is always that fear of a recurrence [of that injury]. I need to lose this fear as fast as I can to get to the World Cup at my best. At first, we're hesitant about making the complete movement and kind of make up for that later," Neymar, who fractured his leg while playing for Paris Saint Germain against Marseille in February this year, told Zico at his mansion in Mangaratiba in an interview that was taken last week and published yesterday.
The 26-year-old said that he would begin running on the treadmill soon, something he is yet to do as of yesterday. He also pointed out the irony of sustaining an injury in a year that saw him being rested more than at any time in his career. In fact, he was supposed to be rested from the match following the one against Marseille.
"I was going to be rested in the next match because there were two important upcoming games against the then second best team of France [Lyon]. I would have played them in the league and then featured again in the French Cup semifinals before being rested again. We had talked about it two days before [the Marseille match]. Unfortunately, I wound up injured on Saturday. This year was the least I played, because the coach rested me a lot," the Brazilian reflected with melancholy.
The Brazilian also spoke about his previous injury at the 2014 World Cup, when Colombia's Juan Zuniga crashed into the forward from behind, kneeing him in the back, resulting in a broken third vertebra that rendered the 22-year-old's World Cup over.
"That is not normal in a match, it's unnecessary. If you want to foul me there [in midfield], then grab me or hold me," said Brazil's latest No. 10, still visibly upset about the incident.
However, he also spoke about the talent of his teammates and specifically picked out the talents of PSG forward Kylian Mbappe for praise, joking: "I already told Casemiro to 'lay him out' if he confronts us.
"The kid is a phenomenon. At his age, he's one of the best. [Gabriel] Jesus is older than him and it's just them there [at that level]."
Neymar also reflected on fond memories of his time at Barcelona, where alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez he had formed one of the deadliest forward lines in the world.
"Suarez is a monster on the field, he is very intelligent. When Messi and I would mess around in practice, he became angry. There was a game in which I made a play, dribbled and gave the pass. Messi did the same. Suarez tried to do that and failed. We started to laugh, because we had that intimacy. Suarez was the icing on the cake in the trio. We were inseparable and we had a huge relationship. With one look, we already knew what to do," concluded the Brazilian, who signed a Brazil shirt for his legendary compatriot at the end of the interview before presumably asking the 65-year-old for some advice ahead of the biggest tournament of his life.