The pictures showed the world’s most expensive player grimacing as he lifted weights and working out on leg-strengthening equipment. One photo showed him walking barefoot in a sand-covered area used by players returning from injury.

Neymar flew back into France on Friday to rejoin the club after an operation on a broken foot bone in March.

He has made clear that his main target is to be fit to play for Brazil in the World Cup in Russia, which kicks off in 40 days.

The chances of Neymar adding to his 30 appearances this season for PSG, who paid 222 million euros ($263 million) for him last summer, seem slim.

Neymar is expected to watch from the stands at the Stade de France on Tuesday when PSG take on third-division Les Herbiers in the French Cup final. He should then take part in the league title celebration next Saturday when PSG entertain Rennes at the Parc des Princes.

After that, PSG have just one match, away to Caen on May 19.

Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, who operated on Neymar, told Folha, a Sao Paulo newspaper, that the goal is to have the player “100 percent fit for the start of training camp” in Brazil on May 21.

Meanwhile, rumours over Neymar’s future continue to swirl in Spain with sports daily Marca saying on Sunday that the striker wants “to play with CR7”, that is Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.

Zverev, the top seed, put in an assured display to seal a 7-5, 6-2 victory in one hour, 31 minutes to claim his first win against Chung at the third attempt.

The 21-year-old Zverev will play former Munich champion Philipp Kohlschreiber in an all-German final on Sunday.

“Kohlschreiber plays very, very good tennis here, has been in the final a few times and has won it a few times, so it’ll be tough,” said Zverev.

The first set swung after Zverev won five straight games from 3-0 down to earn the opportunity to serve for the set, but Chung responded by breaking the German to make it 5-5.

However, Zverev, ranked third in the world, kept his cool and broke the South Korean for a third time before converting his fourth set point.

The German applied constant pressure in the second set, securing consecutive breaks in the third and fifth games, then continued to hold serve to reach the final.

In his semi-final, Kohlschreiber, 34, who won the Munich title in 2007, 2012 and 2016, had few problems as he saw off Maximilian Marterer for a 6-2, 6-4 win to reach his sixth final in the Bavarian capital.

Kohlschreiber, ranked 34th in the world, converted four of his six break point chances to defeat Marterer, who had not lost a set en route to the final, in 65 minutes.

Thailand coach Milovan Rajevac is still hopeful of progressing into the Asian Cup second round despite his side being placed in a tough group with host nation the United Arab Emirates.

The Serbian attended Friday’s draw in Dubai at the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and declared himself satisfied at being placed in group A alongside world No 97 India, No 119 Bahrain and No 81 UAE, who beat Thailand 3-1 in a World Cup Qualifier in October 2016.

“I’m OK with the draw as all teams have better world rankings than we do. We are ready to face any team and I believe I can help the team reach the second round,” said Rajevac, who led his team into the final of the King’s Cup in March where they lost to the Slovak Republic 3-2.

“We will study each team carefully but in the end it all depends on how we play. However we also have our own style,” added Rajevac who has been in charge of the Thai team, ranked 122nd in the world, since April last year.

The Kingdom will kick off their campaign against India in Abu Dhabi on January 6, then play Bahrain on January 10 in Dubai and take on the hosts in Al Ain on January 14.

Defending champions, who beat South Korea 2-1 in the final of the 2015 edition as hosts, have been drawn in Group B with Syria, Jordan and Palestine.

Australia and Jordan have faced each other four times, all in World Cup qualifying, with each side winning two games, while Syria’s gallant but eventually unsuccessful bid to qualify for the upcoming World Cup in Russia has made football fans sit up and take notice.

Japan, who have won the event a record four times, are expected to sail through to the round of 16 from Group F which also includes Uzbekistan, Oman and Turkmenistan.

Former champions Iran and Iraq have been slotted in Group D along with Vietnam and Yemen, while feuding neighbours Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been drawn in Group E with North Korea and Lebanon for company.

The Saudis have won the continental championship three times, but their last success was in 1996 when the event was hosted by the UAE.

The expanded tournament will see 24 teams battle it out for a five million dollar top prize along with a brand new trophy, which was also unveiled at the draw on Friday.

The runners-up in the richest-ever Asian Cup will pocket $3 million while all 24 teams taking part will be awarded $200,000 for merely qualifying.

The tournament will kick off with a Group A match between hosts UAE and Bahrain at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 5.

Ahead of the draw, the new Asian Cup trophy was unveiled by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and former UAE international Zuhair Bakheet.

“Since 1956 we have had the same trophy and in keeping with the new and exciting future of the competition, the AFC decided to commission a new trophy, one that captures the excitement and drama of the tournament ahead,” said Sheikh Salman.

The tournament will take place from January 5 to February 1 in the UAE.

Only the top two teams from each group and four of the best third-placed teams will move into the next round.

Asian Cup draw:

GROUP A: United Arab Emirates, Thailand, India, Bahrain

GROUP B: Australia Syria, Palestine, Jordan

GROUP C: Korea Republic, China, Kyrgyzstan, Philippines

GROUP D: Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Yemen

GROUP E: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Korea DPR

GROUP F: Japan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Turkmenistan

A calmer and wiser Bunyawi Thamchaiwat won her fourth ITF trophy with a 6-1 6-1 victory over veteran Nudnida Luangnam in the final of the US$15,000 Cal-Comp and XYZ Printing ITF Pro Circuit week 1 at the True Arena in Hua Hin on Saturday.

The top seed and world No 483 has been showing a steady improvement since the opening round, where she survived a tough three-set battle against Japan’s Sakura Hondo and has won her last four matches in straight sets, surrendering just 10 games along the way.

The 19-year-old from Nakhon Ratchasima has won at least one singles title every year since 2015.

Saturday’s win also boosted her confidence after a dismal 2017 season where she admits she lost her momentum due to pressure and fear.

“I expected too much of myself and ended up in fear. I didn’t dare to strike the ball like I used to,” said Bunyawi, who first displayed her potential with a maiden ITF win in Bangkok four years ago followed by impressive results in the Fed Cup in 2016.

She had only moderate results in 2016 and 2017, despite being touted as one of the country’s future stars.

She then sought help from a psychologist, Saisueb Boonyaweerabutr, at the end of 2017 and learned how to deal with the mental aspect of her game.

Bunyawi Thamchaiwat 

“I’ve learned how to control my mind and stick to myself. I have become more mentally solid and now have the guts to go for my shots again,” added the gifted girl, whose improvement started with victories in Salopur, India, in December and another final in Egypt, in February.

Bunyawi will again go into the second week of the Hua Hin ITF as top seed, with fellow Thai Nudnida and Patcharin Cheapchandej as the second and third seeds.

With the field being relatively weak this week, she is confident the singles title will be claimed by a home player.

“It’s either me, Nudnida or Patcharin. I’d love to win again but don’t want to put myself under pressure.”

Bunyawi has also set a target of breaking into the world’s top 400 this year and hopes to make the cut for the Asian Games national team in Jakarta in August.

The Frenchman, at the centre of speculation over his future following a poor run, met with chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and son Top with the King Power Stadium chiefs offering him their support.

Puel’s side are ninth in the Premier League but he has come under fire after just two wins in their past 11 Premier League games – including a 5-0 hammering at Crystal Palace last week.

Puel could also see the break-up of the remaining 2016 title-winning team with the futures of Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, Danny Simpson and Riyad Mahrez in doubt this summer.

But the former Southampton manager said it was important to focus on the long term.

Leicester City’s French manager Claude Puel 

“We have to endure this short-term pain for long-term gain,” said Puel, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League visit of West Ham.

“It’s a summary but it’s important because we’ve put in place the foundations, we’ve improved a lot but at the end of the season we wasted a little of the benefits.

“It (the meeting) is a normal thing at the end of the season to bring together all the energy for the last games. It was important to have this good support from our owner. It’s not just about me, it’s the support for all the people in the club.”

Puel said he understood that results for the 2015/16 Premier League champions had to improve.

“I’m not under pressure,” he said. “I’m pragmatic, I know my work, I know what we need to do and what we want for the end of the season.”

Just over two weeks ahead of the FA Cup final against his old club Chelsea, United boss Mourinho made six changes and was punished as Pascal Gross’s second-half header secured Brighton’s first win over the Red Devils since 1982.

“Today I think was a clear difference in the desire to fight for the targets,” said Mourinho, whose side missed the chance to all but secure second place in the Premier League behind champions Manchester City.

“They clearly showed that, for them, it’s more important for them to stay in the Premier League than for us to finish second. They showed it from the first minute, and we didn’t show that.

“I am disappointed because second is important for me. I’m not sure every one of my players is disappointed.”

Chants of “We are staying up” rang around a packed house at the Amex Stadium at full-time as victory moved Brighton up to 11th and more importantly eight points clear of the bottom three.

With third-bottom Southampton and 17th-placed Swansea to meet on Tuesday, Brighton now can’t now be relegated.

“I felt that we’ve deserved to stay in this league for our season’s work,” said Brighton boss Chris Hughton.

“But if we’d lost today and the next two, it would have been a real feeling of injustice had we gone down. So relief that we’ve done it now, but I’m also really proud of a group of players.”

By contrast, defeat means United must wait to secure second as they remain five points clear of Liverpool with Tottenham a point further adrift.

United were without either of the injured Romelu Lukaku or Alexis Sanchez, and their firepower was missed as Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford failed to make the most of rare chances to start up front.

– ‘I know my players better’ –

“For many months you are always asking me why this player doesn’t play? Why that player doesn’t play? Why this player is on the bench? Why always Lukaku?” added Mourinho.

“I know my players better than you, and probably you don’t know them so well to be always with these questions.”

The visitors did have the ball in the net after just four minutes when Marouane Fellaini turned Rashford’s free-kick in from close range, but the Belgian was rightly flagged for offside.

United secured a top-four finish by beating Arsenal 2-1 last weekend, and Brighton’s more desperate need for the points shone through.

David de Gea was the only United player selected in the PFA’s Premier League team of the year and the Spaniard showed why he has again been his side’s outstanding performer this season with a stunning fingertip save to turn a dipping volley from Glenn Murray behind.

Brighton’s survival party had been put on hold by a run of seven games without a win.

But they got the helping hand they needed from the goal-line technology system to seal another campaign in the Premier League on their return to the top flight after 34 years on 57 minutes.

The dangerous Jose Izquierdo got to the byline and when his cross was parried by De Gea, the ball crossed the line from Gross’s header by the finest of margins before being hooked clear by Marcos Rojo.

City can now break United’s record winning margin of 18 points from the 1999/2000 season should they win their remaining three games.

Matt Ryan saved well from Rashford before Martial and Jesse Lingard fired off target as Brighton held out despite a late United rally.

The 19-year-old Greek, a surprise finalist last weekend in Barcelona against Rafael Nadal, will aim for his second straight title match as he takes on Portuguese number one Joao Sousa, who beat British third seed Kyle Edmund 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.

The 44th-ranked Tsitsipas recovered from 0-3 down in the final-set tiebreaker, erasing the deficit and sprinting to a victory that was sealed when his 77th-ranked opponent drove a return long.

The battle between first-time opponents lasted for nearly two and three-quarter hours.

“I was really focused after 0-3 in the tiebreaker,” the youngster said. “The two points after that were important for the win.

“I had to keep the score as close as possible. After those two points, I got the upper hand.

“I was patient during the rallies. Winning seven points in a row is unbelievable. I had the momentum and I kept it to the end.”

Tsitsipas is coming off his best performance on clay and just defeated his second top-10 opponent in as many weeks, adding Estoril top seed Kevin Anderson to his list of victims on Thursday.

Last week, the outsider beat world number seven Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals.

“After last week in Barcelona, I told myself I had to keep my level and concentration,” Tsitsipas said. “That is a difficult challenge.

“At the start of the match I was frustrated, but I got tired of my attitude and stopped complaining and just played.”

Sousa, who has been playing his home event since 2008, produced his best career showing at the tournament as he thrilled local fans with his victory over Edmund.

The world number 68 will be competing in his second semi-final of 2018 after reaching the last four in Marrakech a month ago.

The second semi-final will feature second seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who defeated Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, and American Frances Tiafoe, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Simone Bolelli.

The 19-year-old and Densai ousted Sheng Yuqi of China and Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia 7-5 6-1 in the doubles final.

THe top seed Bunyawi earlier toppled Chinese Ma Shuyue 6-1 6-2 to set up the an all Thai singles final showdown with third seeded Nudnida Luangnam who vanqusihed Desai 6-4 6-0.

The Singtel Group and ONE Championship will explore integrating the Singtel Group’s mobile wallets and carrier billing services to power e-commerce functions in the just launched ONE Championship app which offers live and recorded telecasts of martial arts matches and events. Both companies will also consider jointly producing original content.

“We are excited to collaborate with ONE Championship to bring new entertainment offerings such as martial arts to our customers while raising the profile of the martial arts community here.” said Arthur Lang, CEO of International Group at Singtel. “Content, particularly premium sports content, delivered over our advanced network is one of the key pillars of our consumer strategy. This is why we will also be exploring ways to develop and deliver exclusive martial arts content to not just customers in Singapore and Australia but also our regional associates in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India. Sports content is a big winner with our consumers, with millennials comprising a large part of our customer base.”

ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong said: “We are pleased to enter into this MOU with communications giant, the Singtel Group, on a range of initiatives. ONE Championship is focused on bringing the unique action and adrenaline of our live ONE Championship events straight to our audience on all platforms, making sure that millions of martial arts fans around the world have access to our digital content. I am excited to work with Singtel in executing this vision, delivering the unique experience of Asian martial arts to the world.”

The MOU was announced alongside the launch of ONE Championship’s mobile app in Singtel’s newly-revamped flagship store, where Singapore’s mixed martial arts champion Angela Lee made an appearance. Lee will defend her ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship title against Japan’s  Mei Yamaguchi on 18 May 2018.

Available on Android and iOS mobile platforms, the app aims to give fans of the sport access to ONE Championship live events, as well as their complete library of digital content for free. Content will be streamed in full HD and will also provide users with statistical information and a detailed background on ONE Championship superstars. Singtel Group subscribers can also look forward to perks such as exclusive or early access to content, ticket discounts and invites to VIP events at ONE Championship matches.

Although the star was reported to be taking the Thursday flight out of Rio de Janeiro, arriving early Friday in Paris, there was no confirmation from his spokesman that he departed. Neymar was not spotted in the public areas of Rio’s Tom Jobim International Airport.

While his return is too late to have any impact for his club, Brazil fans are desperate for their iconic star to lead the team out in Russia.

The 26-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward — at 220 million euros ($263 million) the most expensive player in history — broke a bone in his right foot on February 25 playing for PSG and has been in a race for fitness since undergoing surgery in Brazil on March 3.

According to L’Equipe Neymar has been walking without crutches for two weeks but the star striker said last week from his coastal mansion in Rio that he would not play before a final medical on May 17, two days ahead of his club’s last match of the season.

PSG coach Unai Emery admitted Thursday he had not spoken to Neymar for “some weeks”.

“He needs to be left alone to work with the physios, but we also want him to be with us for the last match,” Emery said.

“I don’t know if it’s Friday or Saturday,” added Emery, confirming the former Barcelona forward was scheduled for an imminent return from Brazil.

In Neymar’s absence PSG were beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League but have regained the French league title and the League Cup and face third division Les Herbiers in the French Cup final on Tuesday.