Paulinho recovery update, normal discomfort with post-break return possible | OneFootball

Eight months on from his second operation on his right leg, Palmeiras forward Paulinho still has some discomfort, described as a normal part of recovery and far milder than the pain that troubled him for two years.

According to Globo.com, the issue is not related to the tibia fracture itself, which is stabilised, but to rebuilding strength and muscle in the right leg after surgery to insert a fixation implant, a procedure that requires cutting the muscle.

He could return to action gradually even with some lingering discomfort, which is expected to ease as he regains rhythm, strength and endurance.

Paulinho is in the fourth of five reconditioning stages. There is an expectation he will rejoin the group and could feature for a few minutes after the international break, between the first and second week of April.

The programme is deliberately cautious to avoid a recurrence, with slower progress and longer stages to help him adapt to each increase in training load.

His work includes training games that expand weekly in pitch size and player numbers to smooth his transition back.

The timeline is longer than in 2025 after surgery at Atlético-MG because he never reached the fifth reconditioning stage then, which would have cleared him to play without restrictions. At the Club World Cup he played in pain and only for a few minutes per match.

Source: Globo.com