Gerard Piqué on Neymar Jr: 'He's 25 years old and he has a unique talent'

No sooner had the side arrived in Washington DC than two of the key members of the squad were talking to the local and international press. Here are some of the key comments from Tuesday's media conference.

Gerard Piqué

On Neymar Jr: "My Instagram picture was a personal opinion. The person who has to announce if he’s staying or not is Neymar. I posted the picture because of my gut feeling and how much I want him to stay. It’s not official, it’s just what I would like to happen.”

"When we speak with him we try to make it clear that he’s more than a team-mate. He’s a friend too. It’s understandable that he’s having a think about things, he’s 25 years old and he’s a unique talent. And he has options on the table … and that’s caused him doubts.”

Javier Mascherano

On preparations: "The fundamental thing is to stay healthy and fight for my place. It isn’t normal to be playing such good teams at this stage of the preseason, but it will help us to get ready quicker. You have to be ready fitness-wise and mentality-wise and do so as quickly as possible".

On Ernesto Valverde: “It’s the confirmation of what we saw in Bilbao in recent years. From training with him so far and from the ideas that he transmits, I sense that it’s the same kind of idea: to be aggressive, to dominate, to create deep pressure, to have as much possession as possible…”