Neymar fit after knee surgery as Santos take cautious approach to return | OneFootball

Neymar is back training on grass without restrictions after arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, but Santos are keeping his return to matches cautious. According to Globo.com, the forward has been on-pitch for more than a week while the club hold the line on timing.

He underwent the procedure in late December, then followed intensive rehabilitation with physiotherapy at home and at CT Rei Pelé.

There was a chance he would be in the squad to face Noroeste on Sunday, yet he was not named. Head coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda has taken responsibility for delaying his use. He wants Neymar at the standard he expects for 2026, stressing one v one sharpness, and has urged team-mates to test him in training, even if it sometimes irks the forward.

He accepts the team need their No 10, but says the player’s priority this year is the World Cup with Brazil and that must come first. He also expressed confidence they could count on him in the next game, and if not, they will keep working.

A return could come against Athletico-PR in the third round of the Campeonato Brasileiro on Thursday at 19:00 Brasília time at Arena da Baixada. He may be held back because of the stadium’s synthetic surface, which he has previously criticised, including at Atlético-MG’s MRV Arena. If he is not involved, his comeback is expected to be against Velo Clube on Sunday at 20:30 at Vila Belmiro, the final match of the Paulista first phase.

Source: Globo.com