Chelsea: Estevao update revealed as Brazil name preliminary squad for World Cup | OneFootball

Teenage winger saw tournament hopes thrown into doubt by hamstring injury

Chelsea winger Estevao has been omitted from Brazil’s preliminary World Cup squad due to injury.

The 19-year-old had enjoyed a successful debut season in Europe following his move from Palmeiras last summer, but suffered a hamstring injury last month.

Estevao started the 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 18 but limped off after just 16 minutes, and was later diagnosed with a grade four hamstring injury.

That ruled him out for the rest of the season and was understood to have also thrown his World Cup involvement into serious doubt, though there were initial reports that Estevao had been included in Carlo Ancelotti’s preliminary squad.

However, that has not ended up being the case, with Estevao - who was back at Palmeiras last week receiving treatment - left out altogether after a suspected setback in his recovery.

The 55-man group submitted to FIFA on Monday will be trimmed down into a final tournament squad, which must contain between 23 and 26 players. Brazil will announce that selection on May 18, ahead of the FIFA deadline on June 1.

Brazil are record five-time winners of the World Cup and last triumphed in Japan and South Korea in 2002. They have been knocked out in the quarter-finals in four of the last five tournaments, finishing fourth on home soil in 2014.

They placed fifth in South American qualifying for this summer’s expanded 48-team competition in North America, behind Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay.

The Selecao have been placed in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. They first play warm-up friendlies against Panama in Rio de Janeiro and Egypt in Cleveland, Ohio.