Neymar targets early June ball work amid three-phase rehab | OneFootball

Neymar is on an intensive three-phase rehabilitation for a right calf injury, aiming to be available for Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco on 13 June.

According to Diario Do Peixe, since joining the national team he has had daily treatment and strengthening under CBF medical supervision. He reported to Granja Comary on 27, when tests confirmed a grade two calf injury sustained against Coritiba in the Campeonato Brasileiro.

His schedule is split into three daily blocks, two physiotherapy and strengthening sessions, plus a third using a compression boot on the injured area.

His camp hope he could begin ball work on seven or eight June, after Brazil’s friendlies, Panama on 31 May at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, then Egypt on six June at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, United States. Even if he progresses after Egypt, he is still a doubt for the opener.

If he is not ready for Morocco on 13 June, he could be an option for the second match against Haiti on 18, subject to his recovery.

On Friday he returned to the grass for the first time since the injury, starting in the gym before a light transition on the pitch at Granja Comary. In trainers, he did laps and did not join the more intense work led by Carlo Ancelotti.

A return to ball training in the coming days remains possible if his clinical response allows, but the calf is heavily taxed by sprints, changes of direction and accelerations, which raises the risk of overload. Even a simple problem can worsen with a knock or excessive effort, so medical staff are likely to be cautious and clear him only when fully recovered. The CBF are monitoring him daily and, for now, he remains with the squad with no plan to cut him.

Source: Diario Do Peixe