All four of Carlo AncelottiS recent squad selections share a striking commonality: the conspicuous absence of Neymar. Despite his recent return from injury, the Brazilian superstar remains overlooked by the Italian manager, having not donned the Seleção jersey in over two years.
Neymar recently spent 48 days on the sidelines nursing a rectus femoris muscle injury in his right thigh. He made his comeback for Santos on Sunday, playing 23 minutes in their 1-1 draw against fortaleza. This return, though, did little to sway Ancelotti’s decision.
The Santos playmaker was once again a focal point during Ancelotti’s press conference following the declaration of the squad for upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia. This time, the coach offered a more concise explanation for omitting the player widely considered Brazil’s greatest goalscorer (according to FIFA records) from yet another call-up.
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“I haven’t spoken to Neymar again.let’s see when he can recover and play again,” Ancelotti stated, keeping his remarks brief.
He further emphasized, without naming Neymar directly, that he will not select players carrying physical concerns for the World Cup. “I’m not going to call a player who doesn’t have the intensity for the entire World Cup. We need players at the top level physically.”
ancelotti has consistently maintained that Neymar doesn’t require further evaluation, setting a clear condition for his potential inclusion in the World cup squad: “A talented player also needs to be in shape. He needs to be 100%, not 80%.”
Neymar has been unavailable for only one of Ancelotti’s four squad announcements.On the other three occasions, his exclusion was a direct result of the Italian coach’s decision. Ancelotti has made it abundantly clear that the iconic number 10 must be in peak physical condition to be considered.
However, the coach also indicated that these squad omissions do not definitively rule Neymar out of contention for the 26-man roster that will compete in the World Cup hosted across Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
neymar made the decision to return to Santos at the beginning of the year and managed to string together a series of appearances in August, starting six consecutive matches and playing the full 90 minutes in each.Yet, similar to his experiences in Saudi Arabia, he has been plagued by a string of injuries. In 22 appearances, 17 of which where starts, he has scored six goals and provided three assists.
