Neymar is set to miss the next four to six weeks with a hamstring injury, his club Al Hilal have confirmed.
The 32-year-old made his return after 12 months out following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury when he appeared as a substitute for the Saudi Arabian club in their AFC Champions League game against Al-Ain on October 21.
However, he sustained the hamstring injury in the final moments of Al Hilal’s 3-0 victory over Esteghlal on November 4, being substituted in the 87th minute of the game.
The Brazil international said after picking up the injury: “It felt like a cramp, only very strong. I’m going to have some tests and I hope it’s nothing too serious.
“It’s normal for this to happen after a year. The doctors had already warned me, so I have to be careful and play more minutes.”
🔹 Neymar undergoes scans pic.twitter.com/Gt7T4GxvKh
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) November 6, 2024
Brazil manager Dorival Junior left the forward out of his Brazil squad last week, saying: “We decided not to bring him so as not to rush things. He’s practically fully recovered, but he only had a few minutes, which weighed heavily on the decision.
“He was willing to be here but he also understood the situation, the condition he is in, the lack of minutes on the field. We have to respect the club’s process. A player of his level always has the pleasure of being here. This is very important to us, even though he is not in full condition.”
Prior to his return, Neymar had not played since rupturing his ACL and meniscus in his left knee while playing for Brazil in October 2023.
He had only played five games for Al Hilal before getting injured, having joined the Saudi Arabian side for £80million ($102m) from Paris Saint-Germain two months earlier.
Al Hilal are next in action against Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq on Friday.
(Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
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