Forward Neymar has suffered a grade 2 calf muscle injury and will be sidelined for the Brazilian national team just two weeks before the start of the World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced today.
The governing body specified that Neymar Júnior will be out for “two to three weeks” but will remain integrated into the squad ahead of the World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico and kicks off on June 11.
The Brazilian national team doctor, Rodrigo Lamar, stated that Neymar will undergo “intensive treatment” over the coming days with the team’s medical staff, who are already mostly gathered in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro.
The Santos number 10 was absent from the first training session to undergo complementary diagnostic exams, specifically an MRI.
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The two-to-three-week absence will cause Neymar to miss the warm-up matches against Panama this Sunday at the Maracanã Stadium, and against Egypt on June 6 in Cleveland, United States.
It remains uncertain whether the Brazilian star will recover in time for the World Cup opener, with the five-time world champions scheduled to make their debut on June 13 against Morocco in New Jersey.
Brazil, managed by Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, is placed in Group C of the competition, where they will also face Haiti on June 19 (early morning of June 20 in Lisbon) and Scotland on June 24.
The Brazilian national team holds the record for the most World Cup titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002) but is currently going through a 24-year drought.
