Neymar to miss four to six weeks with hamstring injury, Al Hilal confirm

On By Littum

Neymar is set to miss the next four to six weeks with a hamstring injury, his club Al Hilal have confirmed.

The 32-year-old returned from 12 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury when he came on as a substitute for the Saudi Arabian club in their AFC Champions League match against Al-Ain on 21 October.

However, he suffered the hamstring injury in the final moments of Al Hilal’s 3–0 win over Esteghlal on 4 November when he was substituted in the 87th minute of the match.

The Brazil international said after suffering the injury: “It felt like a cramp, only very strong. I’ll have some tests and I hope it’s not too serious.

“It’s normal for it to happen after a year. The doctors had already warned me, so I have to be careful and play more minutes.”

Brazil manager Dorival Junior left the forward out of his Brazil squad last week, saying: “We decided not to bring him in so as not to rush things. He’s practically recovered but he only had a few minutes, which weighed heavily on the decision.

“He was willing to be here, but he also understood the situation, the condition he is in, the lack of minutes on the pitch. We must respect the club’s process. A player of his level always has the pleasure of being here. It is very important for us, even if he is not fully fit.”

Prior to his return, Neymar had not played since tearing his ACL and meniscus in his left knee while playing for Brazil in October 2023.

He had made just five appearances for Al Hilal before being injured when he joined the Saudi Arabian side for £80 million ($102 million) from Paris Saint-Germain two months earlier.

Al Hilal are next in action against Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq on Friday.

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