Tite rates Real Madrid forward ‘highly’, could replace Neymar for Brazil vs Switzerland | OneFootball

Even though they registered a rather impressive 2-0 win over Serbia, Brazil were hit by a huge blow as Neymar had to leave the pitch injured. The PSG forward has a knock on his ankle, and is expected to miss all games in the group stages.

And while it is a huge absence, Brazil are no short of options. They have incredible attacking depth, with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Antony, and Rodrygo coming on as substitutes.

With Neymar injured, Tite has enough replacements, and if reports from MARCA are to be believed, Rodrygo is the leading option to take up Neymar’s no. 10 role. He is not, however, the only option.

Tite could move Lucas Pacqueta to attacking midfield, with one of Fred or Bruno Guimares coming in to form the double pivot with Casemiro. The former was the first one to come on vs Serbia, while the latter remained as an unused substitute.

The Brazilian coach rates Rodrygo very highly, as has been reported, and the final decision on his role will be made during the two training sessions ahead of the Brazil vs Switzerland game.

Rodrygo played as a second striker-cum-10 for a few games during his Santos stint, and will not be a tourist to the role.

Further, he has been in rather impressive goalscoring form this season, with four goals and assists each to his name in the league, which means he can recreate a majority of Neymar’s threat in the same position.