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Brazilian club Santos have dismissed concerns surrounding the fitness of star player Neymar ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and remain confident the veteran forward will recover in time to feature in the tournament.
The 34-year-old joined Brazil’s training camp earlier this week, where further medical assessments confirmed a grade two muscle strain in his right calf.
Brazil national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar stated on Thursday that Neymar is expected to remain sidelined for at least two weeks, putting his participation in Brazil’s opening World Cup fixture against Morocco on June 13 in doubt.
The injury will also rule Neymar out of Brazil’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Panama and Egypt.
Neymar sustained the injury during Santos’ 2-1 defeat to Coritiba on May 17, just one day before newly-appointed Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti announced his final squad for the tournament.
Santos had initially diagnosed the problem as calf oedema and believed the forward would recover in time for international duty.
However, following speculation over the handling of Neymar’s fitness, Santos issued an official statement defending the club’s medical process and insisting complete reports had already been shared with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
“The two-week period began on the 17th and ends this Sunday, by which time the player should be fit to return to training,” the club stated.
“It should always be borne in mind that these estimates vary from person to person and depend on the team’s needs and the importance of the matches.”
Santos further stressed that their medical department has remained in constant coordination with Brazil’s national team staff throughout the recovery process.
“The Brazilian national team’s physiotherapy team also includes professionals from Santos FC who have been working with Neymar Jr. for over 10 years and throughout this entire recovery process,” the statement read.
“The club’s medical department is aligned with and in agreement with the treatment schedule set by the CBF’s medical team. The professionals at Santos FC are familiar with the player’s recovery capacity and are confident that Neymar will be ready to play in the World Cup.”
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 international goals, has not represented the national side since suffering an ACL injury during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023.
Despite his injury concerns, the forward was included in Brazil’s final 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
READ: Messi to captain Argentina squad at FIFA World Cup 2026
