Neymar injury scare: Brazil fear for his World Cup place | OneFootball

Brazil has a problem, and its name is Neymar. The Santos forward suffered moderate swelling in his right calf that will keep him from training for more than a week, creating tension within the national team’s coaching staff less than a month before the World Cup debut against Morocco on June 13. Despite the risk, according to O Globo, Carlo Ancelotti decided to keep him in the squad after speaking personally with the player and reviewing the initial tests. There is optimism, but also concern.

Santos has already confirmed that Neymar will be out of action next week and will not be available against San Lorenzo, and most likely not against Gremio either. His presence against Deportivo Cuenca on the 26th is also very unlikely. The forward needs treatment, and the São Paulo club will take care of him until he is fit.

From the national team’s side, the scenario being considered by the coaching staff is as follows: if Neymar is fit by the 27th, when the squad reports to Granja Comary, he could be available for the farewell friendly against Panama on the 31st at the Maracanã. After that, Brazil has another friendly on June 6 against Egypt in the United States before its World Cup debut.

It is worth noting that the Italian coach made a calculated decision. The Brazilian outlet mentioned above emphasized that the tactician reviewed the medical tests, spoke with Neymar by phone, and chose to call him up knowing the injury exists and that time is tight. If his recovery does not go as expected and it becomes necessary to reduce the squad, the preliminary list submitted to FIFA last week allows for replacements to be added. However, that possibility is not being considered for now.

Brazil makes its World Cup debut on June 13 against Morocco. The clock is ticking, and Neymar has less than four weeks to reach top form. The situation is not serious, but the margin for error is minimal.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.