Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the press after the club's 4-0 victory over Reims in Ligue 1 on Sunday, and made some worrying revelations about forward Neymar Junior's fitness. In not so may words, the Argentine said that it is not yet clear if the player will be fit enough to play in the first leg of the club's UEFA Champions League last-16 match against Real Madrid.

PSG will welcome Los Blancos to the Parc des Princes on February 15, which is about three weeks away. Neymar has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury way back on November 15, but he has not yet been able to return to full training with the squad until now.

"We don't know yet [if Neymar will be fit to face Real Madrid]," Pochettino said, as quoted by Marca. "We will look at his recovery over the next week. He will be available if all goes well. We hope so, but we still don't know," he added.

Neymar drew some criticism over the Christmas break as fans started to nitpick at his activities outside the pitch. The Brazilian assured followers that he has been working hard with his medical team, and is fully committed to getting back to full fitness. His recovery has always been expected to be long, but the pressure is mounting now that the knockout stage of the Champions League is about to start.

The duel between PSG and Real Madrid is the most highly-anticipated clash in the last-16, and Neymar will want to make a huge contribution. The former Barcelona forward will want to be available to play even as a substitute by February 6 against Lille, in order to be fully ready to start against the Spanish giants.

Elsewhere, former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is also excited to be back in active competition after spending most of the season in recovery. He scored his first goal as a PSG player during the match against Reims, and he will also be hoping to avoid another injury setback that might keep him sidelined for the match against his former club.

Neymar Jr.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino with Neymar last season AFP / Denis Charlet
Real Madrid Lionel Messi Champions League