Neymar begins final Santos push for fourth World Cup spot | OneFootball

Neymar begins his final push for a fourth World Cup on Thursday, starting for Santos against Remo at Vila Belmiro at 19:00 Brasília time. He aims to string games together to persuade Carlo Ancelotti he merits a place among the 26, though the route now looks harder.

According to Globo.com, competition for Brazil places tightened in the recent international window as Danilo, Endrick and Igor Thiago impressed against France and Croatia. None share Neymar's profile, yet they are vying for scarce spots in a squad already stacked in midfield and attack.

Within the CBF, a call-up is seen as increasingly unlikely, but staff will keep monitoring him. Ancelotti has said the number 10 would be considered only if he is 100% fit by the tournament.

Those around the player and club believe his fate rests with him. If he strings a high-level run from this week, particularly physically, a World Cup return could become feasible.

Neymar has up to 14 Santos fixtures before the 18 May squad announcement. He is not expected to play them all, with club and personal staff managing his minutes to reduce injury risk.

Santos coaches held him back from the first sessions in the break, then cleared his involvement once he rejoined. Expectation is he then plays Flamengo on Sunday at the Maracanã. Travel to Ecuador for the Sul-Americana opener at Deportivo Cuenca on eight May is not confirmed.

Source: Globo.com