I had quite severe neuropathy at 36 years old, which was how my pre-diabetes was discovered. My doctor at the time thought my triglycerides and hyperlipidemia were more of a factor than diabetes and put me on Rosuvastatin but no diabetes medication. Along with this, I went on a fairly severe very low-carb, low calorie diet. I also cut out all alcohol after having been quite a heavy drinker. After a few months my numbers were normal enough the doctor agreed to take me of Rosuvastatin and do it by diet. Gradually, my neuropathy faded to the point I didn't think about it, and later it had gone altogether.
The main point being that it does seem plausible that neuropathy can exist in people with pre-diabetes, or recently acquired diabetes: smoking could also be a factor. It was reversible in my case though: I needed to get my blood glucose, triglycerides and weight down to normal levels, but once that was done, the neuropathy went away. There are supplements that are supposed to be good as well, but I didn't use them. Good luck with it!