Neymar may face a return against South Korea in the round of 16 of the World Cup.
Brazil took a big step forward ahead of their World Cup Round of 16 match against South Korea as coach Tite announced Neymar was back in the squad.
The 30-year-old forward limped in the opening game against Serbia and failed to feature in the Selecao’s two subsequent group games.
Neymar posted a picture of his dramatically swollen foot on social media, fueling fears he might not be able to return before the World Cup is over.
Brazil have lost several other players to injuries since then: Alex Telles and Gabriel Jesus are out completely, while the likes of Antony remain doubtful for the upcoming games.
However, Tite gave Brazil fans reason to cheer by confirming Neymar would be available for Monday’s game.
Neymar’s condition was the first question put to Tite in his pre-game press conference on Sunday and the manager smiled broadly as he announced the Paris Saint-Germain attacker will indeed be available on Monday.
He added: “Neymar will train this afternoon and if he trains well then he will play.”
Brazil may still have the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Richarlison to call on, but the return of their talisman Neymar will boost Brazil’s morale as they claim their first World Cup since 2002.
Neymar is just two goals away from equaling Pelé’s goalscoring record for Brazil and has a good chance of becoming his country’s all-time leading scorer before the end of the tournament if he can get back into the game in time.
This article was originally published on 90min.de as.
Source: Stern
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