Martino Breaking Neymar In Gently

[Folami David]

Barcelona have been keen to avoid overburdening new signing Neymar but Wednesday's Spanish Super Cup second leg at home to Atletico Madrid may see him included in the starting line-up for the first time.
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Coach Gerardo Martino has left the Brazil forward on the bench until the final half hour of all three of the Spanish champions' competitive games this term following his close-season move from Santos for €57 million.
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He netted the equaliser in last Wednesday's Super Cup first leg at the Calderon with a fine header to secure a 1-1 draw, but was on the bench again for their 1-0 win over Malaga in La Liga on Sunday.
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With World Player of the Year Lionel Messi possibly coming back from injury and the home crowd behind him, the return match against Atletico may be the ideal moment to deploy the 21-year-old from the off.
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Neymar showed off some of his trademark skill and pace in their nervy win at Malaga and tested home goalkeeper Willy Caballero with a curling free kick before seeing a deflected effort fly narrowly over.
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"I don't know how much time is left," Martino told reporters after the Malaga game when asked when Neymar would be ready to take his place in the starting 11.
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"What I do believe is that mentally he is ready and we will decide on the right moment," added the Argentine, brought in last month to replace the ailing Tito Vilanova.
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"The good thing is that he plays half an hour and in that half an hour he always does something positive for the team."
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Breaking Neymar in gently has been a wise move from Martino and the Barca staff given the intensity of the club's matches and his relatively slight physical stature.