Neymar neurosis clouding Brazil's European trip

LONDON - It is with a raincloud hovering above the head of its superstar Neymar that Brazil is gearing up for its final assignment of 2017 against England at Wembley on Tuesday.

Though Neymar has scored 11 goals in 12 games since his world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona, recent weeks have yielded stories of rifts with his teammates and disagreements with coach Unai Emery.

He cut a fragile figure in the media conference that followed Brazil's 3-1 friendly win over Japan in Lille on Friday, wiping away tears as national coach Tite spoke out in his defense before the player hurriedly left the room.