New leg injury sidelines Neymar, confirms Santos

Neymar. Pic/AFP

Santos forward Neymar has been diagnosed with a new leg muscle injury, the club confirmed on Friday, marking yet another setback in his ongoing battle to regain full fitness.

The 33-year-old was forced off the pitch in the 34th minute during Santos' 2-0 win over Atletico Mineiro on Wednesday. Subsequent medical examinations revealed damage to the semimembranosus muscle, one of the key hamstring muscles, Xinhua reported.

"It's still too early to give any definitive answer, we don't have a diagnosis yet," said Santos coach Cesar Sampaio. "Now we really have to pray that it's not something that will keep him out for a long time."

In an official statement released on the club's website, Santos clarified that the current injury is not a recurrence of a previous issue.
"The number 10 has already started treatment and...will continue muscle strengthening work," the statement read, though no specific timeline for recovery was provided.

Since returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament last October, which kept him out for nearly a year, Neymar has faced a series of soft-tissue injuries. A brief return to form earlier this year earned the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star a call-up to Brazil's national team for World Cup qualifiers in March. However, he was subsequently withdrawn due to another muscle-related issue.

The 33-year-old has not featured for Brazil since October 2023, when a knee injury sidelined him. In his absence, teenage sensation Endrick of Real Madrid was called up to replace him.

"He will be reevaluated periodically for monitoring and new treatment definitions," Santos added. "It was known that these complications could occur, due to the time of inactivity."

Since making his return to Santos from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, Neymar has made eight appearances and scored three goals.

(With inputs from IANS)