Inter Miami coach Phil Neville addresses Pizarro rumors, Higuain’s cigarette quote

Inter Miami coach Phil Neville spoke with the media for the first time in three weeks Thursday, following the MLS international break, and squashed rumors that playmaker Rodolfo Pizarro is out of favor with the club and seeking a transfer back to the Mexican league.

Pizarro did not play the past few games for Inter Miami due to an abductor/hip injury that has kept him out of practice for three and a half weeks. He traveled to Denver with the Mexican national team but did not play in any matches.

Rumors have been swirling through the Mexican media and across the U.S. border.

Neville said Pizarro and forward Robbie Robinson (hamstring) are out “for the foreseeable future” and will not play in the Saturday’s game at D.C. United (8 p.m., My33), but media and fans should not read more into Pizarro’s absence.

“He’s an Inter Miami player,” Neville said of Pizarro. “I think I’ve told you guys 100 times I like the boy. I want the boy to play well for Inter Miami and so does the boy.”

Neville said the injury is taking longer to heal than expected, and he supported Pizarro’s decision to travel with the Mexican team while injured.

“It was a good opportunity for him to go with his national team, for them to assess him in terms of his injury, to get him out of this mental environment into that environment. The boy is injured. Let’s not read too much into any of the speculation you guys are writing. The boy is injured.

“He’s been out injured for three and a half weeks. He has not been on the grass in three and a half weeks, so we need to get him back to his full fitness to make sure he’s pain free and then he’ll be a great Inter Miami player.”

Pressed again about rumors he was being shopped to Liga MX, Neville politely replied: “There is no possibility of Rodolfo leaving this football club. He’s an Inter Miami player. He’s injured at this moment in time. We can’t stop the speculation but the reason he’s not playing is because he’s injured…I’m not going to answer any more questions about Rodolfo Pizarro. I think I spoke and told you how many times that he’s a big part of what we want to do here and he’s happy here.”

Neville also addressed a quote by forward Gonzalo Higuain that went viral this week. Speaking on Christian Vieri’s Twitch channel Bobo TV, Inter Miami’s Argentine forward said of joining MLS from Italian giant Juventus: “I thought I would come here and play with a cigarette in my mouth and, instead, it is difficult. It is a tough league. I learned that it is similar to Italian football. In Spain and England it is easier to do well, while in Italy, if you do not know the league, you suffer.”

Neville concurred with Higuain that MLS is a more complicated league than outsiders realize. He also said he had no trouble with Higuain’s candor.

“He did the interview with Christian Vieri, one of his close friends and a fellow footballer and you get into an environment where you speak honestly and we want footballers to speak honestly and not just give standard answers,” Neville said. “Maybe the perception in other parts of the world that this league is easier, but the biggest compliment in the interview that I saw was he said it’s really, really difficult, and I totally agree.”

In his MLS debut last September, the 33-year-old missed a penalty kick in a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia. He has since played in six more games and scored four goals, including two in a 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati in May.

Neville went on to say MLS is one of the hardest leagues to win because of the different climates and travel and parity within the league. “He was actually giving a compliment and being open and honest about maybe his thoughts beforehand and ultimately he is under no illusions now.

“I’ve known it for a long, long time when those big DP [Designated Players] players come from around the world, if you do not commit 100 percent, focus on everything then you will get found out. I think Gonzalo has learned that over the last year at this club.”