Former Real Madrid and Barcelona striker Alfonso has hailed the form this season of Neymar.

The Real Mallorca assistant coach feels Neymar has helped fans forget about injured teammate Lionel Messi.

"His layoff has shown that Neymar and Luis Suárez can carry the team," Alfonso told Marca.

"Neymar has risen to the challenge and then some.

"It seemed like Messi's absence might hinder Barça, but the way he's playing, Neymar is making people forget about Messi."