Neymar: England are not World Cup contenders

London: Brazilian superstar Neymar has dismissed England’s chances of winning the World Cup, claiming that Roy Hodgson’s team rely too much on Wayne Rooney.

The Santos forward was set to spearhead Brazil’s attack at Wembley on Wednesday as the World Cup hosts begin their build-up to the tournament under new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. But Neymar believes they have little to fear from England, saying: “They are a good team with very good players, but I don’t look at them as one of our main rivals for the World Cup.

“Do I think they have the same quality as Spain and Argentina? No. I think maybe they rely on Wayne Rooney. Brazil have many players who can win the game and it’s the same with Argentina. If Messi is not having a great game, they still have [Sergio] Aguero and [Carlos] Tevez.

“If [Andres] Iniesta is having a bad game, Spain have Xavi [Hernandez] and [David] Villa. Once you look past Rooney you don’t see an obvious player who can win a game for England.”

Chelsea face competition from Barcelona and Real Madrid to sign Neymar, whose contract at Santos runs out next year. But the player, rated as the brightest young talent in the world, insists he is undecided about his future.

“Things are written about my future but they are not true,” he said. “They can’t be true because no decision has been made. I am happy at Santos now and I am not even thinking about leaving. When the time comes, I will consider all offers from big clubs in Europe, but any talk that I have already committed is not true.”

Neymar spent Tuesday shivering against a bitter north London wind as Brazil trained in Barnet, which wasn’t the ideal way for him to celebrate his 21st birthday. It probably wasn’t how Ronaldinho wanted to prepare for his 100th cap either. The two were in danger of turning as turquoise as their training kit as Scolari put them through their paces at Barnet’s training ground, five miles and a world away from Wembley.

The Great British winter had left Scolari with a sore throat and struggling to speak. But the man, who knocked out England en route to winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, and then knocked them back in favour of staying with Portugal four years later, eventually found his voice.

“I would have loved to be the manager of the England national team,” he said. “Who wouldn’t? And who knows, you never know what might happen one day.

“But I still had a contract with Portugal and I wasn’t willing to break it. Imagine what would have happened if we had met in the 2006 World Cup and I already had the contract with England?

“Tomorrow I’m sure I’ll talk to Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole and wish them all the best.”

Big Phil’s other involvement with English football was when his reign as Chelsea manager came to an end after less than eight months in 2009. He became animated when questioned about his record at Stamford Bridge, but was less forthcoming when it came to problems faced by Rafael Benitez.

“I don’t have an opinion. The person who can answer is the person who is there now, doing the job,” said Scolari.

Wednesday night was set to mark a poignant return for Ronaldinho, 32, after a year in the international wilderness. His first appearance for Brazil was in an Under 16 game at Wembley, and he will always be remembered for the free-kick that sailed over the head of David Seaman, knocking England out of the 2002 World Cup.

“It’s marked my life,” he said. “Someone always asks if I meant to shoot and without doubt I did.”

— Daily Mail