Paulinho targets April return for Palmeiras after March international window | OneFootball

Paulinho says he is targeting an April return, after the March international window. He spoke after Palmeiras beat Grêmio Novorizontino 2-1 to seal the Campeonato Paulista.

"I am following a protocol that began with six months of nothing, no impact. I went to the club and just chatted, only a bit of physiotherapy. It affects your head, you look for refuges," he told Cazé TV.

"When the year turned I knew the workload would rise, with running, and now I am in the physical transition. Contact work, some games. I believe that after the FIFA dates I will be fit to be selected."

He was the only absentee in the final. He has not played since July and underwent another right leg procedure at the end of that month for a problem dating back to his Atlético Mineiro days.

Since that July surgery, Palmeiras have managed a gradual recovery as he has felt pain in the area for more than a year and a half. Since 2024 he has treated a stress fracture of the right tibia, first diagnosed at Atlético Mineiro.

He returned at the start of last year and the healing progressed, but pain resurfaced as training and match loads increased. He played only 16 games before being sidelined again after the Club World Cup for another operation, fixing the bone with a stronger implant.

Source: Nosso Palestra