Brazilian club Santos has issued an official statement to clarify the medical controversy surrounding Neymar Jr.'s injury ahead of the 2026 World Cup. While club doctors initially diagnosed the injury as a minor swelling, Brazil national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar identified a Grade 2 muscle strain. Consequently, the forward will miss friendly matches against Panama and Egypt, reports Goal.com .
Santos denied reports of a lack of transparency in sharing information with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The club statement asserts that all medical examination results for Neymar Jr. were submitted to the CBF by the 18th. The two-week recovery period is expected to conclude on March 31, after which the player is expected to return to training.
To strengthen cooperation between the club and the national team, Santos emphasized that its staff is directly involved in the rehabilitation process. Santos doctors have been working with Neymar for over 10 years and express full confidence in the player's recovery capacity. Currently, all treatments are being carried out according to the plan set by the CBF medical team.
The physical condition of the 34-year-old star has directly impacted the plans of national team head coach Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian manager initially included the playmaker in the final squad based on guarantees provided by Santos. However, following a new MRI scan at the Granja Comary base, the CBF took control and decided not to rush the player's return to the pitch.
Neymar is currently undergoing intensive physiotherapy under the supervision of the Seleção medical team. Carlo Ancelotti and the CBF have set June 12 as the deadline to assess the player's fitness. If Neymar does not fully recover before the opening group stage match against Morocco, the coaching staff may be forced to remove him from the tournament roster.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
