'Neymar's always trying to wind people up'

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has accused Neymar of always "trying to wind people up", while expressing his belief that the Paris Saint-Germain star knows exactly how "infuriating" he can be.

PSG continued their preparations for the resumption of their 2019-20 campaign by putting Celtic to the sword in a friendly at Parc des Princes on Tuesday.

The Ligue 1 champions ran out 4-0 winners thanks to goals from Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Ander Herrera and Pablo Sarabia, with the Hoops' summer tour of France ending on a sour note.

Neymar showed off his full repertoire of tricks and won several free-kicks during the match, much to the frustration of Lennon in the visiting dugout.

The Brazil international's theatrics proved too much for the Celtic head coach at one point, as the two men were involved in a heated exchange on the touchline.

When asked to comment on the incident and assess how his side coped with the threat of Neymar, Lennon told the Daily Record:  " He was just trying to wind people up.

"I said to the players you just have to keep your discipline and not take the bait really.

"He is infuriating but he knows it."

Lennon went on to highlight Mbappe's quality, before praising his players for giving their all against "world-class" opposition.

"I'm a big fan of Kylian Mbappe because I think he's fantastic in terms of his purpose and his pace," he added. "They've got quality all over the pitch.

"That quality is world-class. I'm pleased we've taken it on. I don't think we need to be down about it.

"Sometimes the players need to see the game at that level for what it is, and how far you have to strive to get there. Hopefully, they can take a lot from it physically and mentally."

PSG were crowned champions of France for a third successive year when the Ligue 1 season was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis in April.

They could yet go on to win an unprecedented treble, with a Coupe de France final against Saint-Etienne to take in on Friday before they look ahead to a Champions League quarter-final final against Atalanta in Lisbon next month.

Source: Goal.com