Neymar trains with ball for third straight day as Brazil return nears | OneFootball

Neymar trained with the ball for the third consecutive day in New Jersey on Saturday, moving closer to a Brazil return. The Santos forward worked alone on the pitch.

According to Diario Do Peixe, he is expected to continue ball work on Sunday, with Carlo Ancelotti’s plan for him to rejoin full training on Monday.

He was on the bench, but not registered to play, for the 1-1 draw with Morocco at MetLife Stadium in the opening round. He did not travel to Philadelphia for the second game.

The expectation is that he will train with the group and be available to face Scotland on Wednesday 24 at 19:00 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

He suffered the injury a day before Ancelotti’s final call-up, having captained Santos in a 3-0 defeat to Coritiba at Neo Química Arena on 17 May in Brasileirão round 16.

That match also brought a refereeing controversy around a misleading substitution. He took a blow to his right calf, with Santos diagnosing a 2 mm oedema, then CBF tests identified a grade 2 muscle injury.

Since then he has followed an intensive programme of physiotherapy, strengthening and load control set by the CBF medical department, and his return remains on schedule.

This is his fourth World Cup, again wearing the No 10, after 2014, 2018 and 2022. He has said it will be his last, calling it “The Last Dance”, and he arrives as Brazil’s record scorer and a senior leader.

Source: Diario Do Peixe