Ancelotti awaits Neymar and wants top-level players at the World Cup | OneFootball

Neymar became a topic once again in the call-up for the Brazilian National Team. Coach Carlo Ancelotti released the list of 26 players called up for the November FIFA dates, the penultimate before the 2026 World Cup. However, the number 10 from Santos was once again absent.

Asked if he has been following Neymar, Ancelotti was brief in his response and revealed that he has not yet had a new conversation with the Peixe player.

Neymar recently recovered from an injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his right thigh and returned to play for Santos last Sunday, coming on in the second half against Fortaleza. Now, the Peixe’s number 10 is looking for a run of games to finish the year at a high level and, who knows, return to the National Team in the next call-up.

On several occasions, Ancelotti has left the door open for Neymar’s return to the National Team. The Italian coach knows the technical quality of the star, but has always made it clear that a return to the Seleção would depend on the striker’s physical condition, as he has struggled with injuries throughout this season.

The National Team coach even emphasized his desire to have all called-up players “at top level” for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held between June and July.

“It may be that I take a player who doesn’t have the intensity for the first or second game, but I won’t call up a player who doesn’t have intensity for the whole World Cup. We need all players at top level,” concluded the coach.

Without Neymar, Brazil will face Senegal on November 15, in London. Then, they will play Tunisia in a friendly to be held in France.

Left out in the last call-up

Neymar was last called up to the National Team in March this year, when the coach was still Dorival Júnior, now at Corinthians. However, the star was cut from the squad after presenting a problem in his left thigh.

The Santos number 10 has not played for Brazil since October 17, 2023, in the 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in the Qualifiers. On that occasion, he was a starter. In total, he has 79 goals and 59 assists in 128 games for the Seleção.

Upcoming National Team friendlies

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.