Dorival Junior announced the Brazil squad list for the FIFA matchday in September. Neymar, who is still recovering from a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee, is still missing from the squad. Even so, the ‘Canarinha’ coach took the opportunity to reassure the Al-Hilal striker about his future in the team.
Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia striker Neymar will return to the Brazil squad when he is ‘fully’ recovered from his serious knee injury, Canarinha coach Dorival Junior said today.
“He is a very important, fundamental and decisive player, a different guy. We all know that,” said the coach at a press conference after announcing the squad for the South American qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in Rio de Janeiro.
“We have to respect the (medical) protocols, he’s not fully back yet,’ but “have no doubt that when he’s recovered and fit, he’ll be called up again,” he said. “He is a player who needs no comment, everyone knows how important he is. But it’s still early days, we’re going to wait,” he added.
Brazil sorely missed the creativity of the ‘10’ in the last Copa America in the United States, where the team coached by Dorival Junior was not up to the task and lost in the quarter-finals against Uruguay in a penalty shootout.
The five-time world champions, now led by Madrid winger Vinicius, return to the World Cup qualifiers. They will face Ecuador on 6 September at the Couto Pereira stadium in Curitiba, and four days later they will take on Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asunción.
The Canarinha’s situation is delicate, as they occupy sixth place in the South American qualifiers with a poor record of two wins, one draw and three defeats, and are a long way behind Argentina, who lead the standings with 15 points.
The full Brazil squad:
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al-Nassr) and Ederson (Manchester City).
Defenders: Danilo (Juventus), Yan Couto (Borussia Dortmund), Guilherme Arana ( Atletico Mineiro), Wendell (Oporto), Beraldo ( Paris Saint Germain), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal) and Marquinhos (PSG).
Midfielders: Andre (Fluminense), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo), Joao Gomes (Wolverhampton) and Lucas Paqueta (West Ham).
Forwards: Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Endrick (Real Madrid), Estevão (Pameiras), Luiz Henrique (Botafogo), Pedro (Flamengo), Savinho (Manchester City) y Vinicius (Real Madrid)
