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Choosing the injury-prone Neymar in Brazil’s World Cup team seemed like a risk, and he proved it just 10 days later on Thursday.
The 34-year-old striker has a calf injury and will likely be unfit for Brazil’s opening match against Morocco, team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said.
“The expectation is that he will be out for two or three weeks,” Lasmar told reporters.
Brazil will play Morocco on June 13 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to start a group that also includes Haiti and Scotland.
“Neymar arrived [Wednesday] “At Comary Farm,” Lasmar said, referring to the team’s training base near Rio de Janeiro, “they did all the medical tests and diagnosed him with a grade two calf injury.”
Neymar was selected for his fourth World Cup in a 26-player squad by coach Carlo Ancelotti despite not playing for the national team since October 2023, when he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.
He has played only a few games this season for Santos since returning from Saudi Arabia on a free transfer from Al-Hilal.
FIFA World Cup rules allow Neymar to be replaced before the June 1 deadline for Ancelotti to present his final squad, or up to a day before a team’s first match in the tournament.
Information from The Associated Press.
