Neymar left out against Noroeste as Santos take cautious approach | OneFootball

Neymar has not been named in Santos’ squad to face Noroeste on Sunday 8 at 16:00 in the Campeonato Paulista, with the forward still in the final phase of his physical recovery.

According to Diario Do Peixe, he underwent an arthroscopy on his left knee in December 2025 and has followed a controlled recovery programme.

Neymar resumed training in January and, for just over a week, has been working on the pitch with the rest of the squad, taking part as normal.

Despite that progress, the coaching staff and his staff are erring on the side of caution, so he will stay in Santos to continue his programme. The expectation is that he also sits out the Athletico match on a synthetic pitch, and only becomes an option against Velo Clube.

In early January he extended his contract with Santos to 31 December 2026. He turned 34 on Thursday, 5 February, and in 2025 made 30 appearances, scoring 12 goals with four assists.

Santos are struggling in the 2026 Paulista. They are 14th overall, one place above the relegation zone, with six points from six rounds and no win in five. Noroeste sit 13th on seven points, Velo Clube 15th on four.

Source: Diario Do Peixe