"No, I wouldn’t have signed Neymar [but] with Neymar on board, I would have planned for the possibility of selling Messi - and some would agree with that, others not.

"You are talking about a team, its players, the things around it. There are too many things at stake. That’s why it’s so difficult to manage such a top class squad.

"It’s like the free kicks. Neymar is very good at taking them, and Messi has already shown he is. Who’s going to take them?

"Or the fact that Neymar and Barcelona are with Nike while Leo is with Adidas. These are situations that could cause problems. We’ll have to wait and see - it could turn out well or badly. It’s a risk."