Neymar, the forward for Saudi club Al-Hilal, will rejoin the Brazilian national team once he is “fully” recovered from his serious knee injury, as announced by Brazil’s head coach, Dorival Júnior.
“He’s an incredibly important, fundamental, and decisive player, someone who’s different. We all know that,” the coach said during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro after releasing the squad list for the upcoming South American World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay.
Once again, the former Santos, FC Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star was left out of the squad as he continues to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee, an injury he sustained last October. “We have to respect the (medical) protocols; he hasn’t fully returned yet,” Dorival explained. “But rest assured, when he’s recovered and ready, he’ll be called up again.”
“He’s a player that needs no introduction; everyone knows how important he is. But it’s still early, so we’ll wait,” Dorival added. Brazil sorely missed their number 10’s creativity during the recent Copa América in the United States, where Dorival’s team fell short, losing in the quarterfinals to Uruguay in a penalty shootout.
The five-time world champions, now led by Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, will face Ecuador on September 6th at the Couto Pereira Stadium in Curitiba, and four days later, they’ll take on Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asunción.
The situation for the Canarinha is precarious, as they currently sit in sixth place with a disappointing record of two wins, one draw, and three losses, far behind Argentina, who lead the standings with 15 points.