Neymar underwent surgery to repair ligaments and meniscus injuries in his left knee.
Al Hilal and Brazil forward Neymar has been ruled out of the Copa America 2024. He will recover from an ACL injury. It’s a huge blow for Brazil who will compete for the major title next year.
Neymar’s injury story has been regular as he missed out previous season for PSG. He even walked out from the WC 2022 due to injury.
The 31-year-old joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal for a reported £77.8m in the summer. He made only five appearances for his new club. Later, he suffered an ACL injury on international duty ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Uruguay.
Neymar was forced off on a stretcher in the first half of Brazil’s defeat to Uruguay. He underwent surgery to repair ligaments and meniscus injuries in his left knee.
Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar has confirmed that the highest goal-scorer for the Selecao will not recover in time to feature in next year’s Copa America, which will be held in the USA and begins in the summer.
Lasmar spoke to Brazilian news outlet Rede 98, “It’s too early. There’s no point in skipping steps to recover sooner and taking unnecessary risks.
“Our expectation is that he will be prepared to return at the start of the 2024 season in Europe, which is August.
“We need to be patient. Talking about a return before nine months is premature, this is a global concept for knee ligament surgeries recovery.
“It is very important to respect the biological time, the time the body takes to reconstruct that ligament.
“If we follow those steps and after a long recovery, the expectation is that he can perform again at a high level.”
See More:
- Man United urged to make a move Xabi Alonso if ten Hag gets the sack
- Jose Mourinho explains why Arsenal will not win the Premier League title this season
