Neymar posted a social media video of himself working out with a personal trainer amid media reports that the Brazilian superstar may be forced to delay his long-awaited return from injury until the start of 2025.
Reports from GOAL said that Jorge Jesus, the manager of Neymar’s current Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, has opted against registering the Brazilian forward until after the winter break in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of next year.
However, 32-year-old Neymar posted a video on his Instagram profile where he can be seen lifting weights in the gym along with a personal coach. The caption on the post, in an apparent response to his injury return chatter, read, “Work in silence. Don’t give up.”
Why can Neymar’s injury return be delayed by Al-Hilal?
While Al-Hilal has not given any indication as to when Neymar will be back in action or whether his return will be postponed, media houses have reported that manager Jorge Jesus has decided to wait until the start of the year to register the injury-prone Brazilian.
The reason is that the Saudi Pro League allows teams to have a maximum of eight foreign players in their squad, and Al-Hilal presently have nine foreign players including Neymar.
GOAL reported that Jorge Jesus would prefer to keep the new signing Renan Lodi, signed from Marseilles for 23 million euros, in his squad. That would mean that Neymar would find no place in the squad, as he is not expected to be fully match fit until the end of November.
Neymar, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, ruptured his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee while playing for Brazil against Uruguay in October 2023.
He has since undergone surgery on that knee, which meant that he has missed more than 50 games for his SPL side Al-Hilal since signing for them for a transfer fee of 90 million euros.
