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– Brazil manager Tite said he remains confident Neymar will play again in the 2022 World Cup, with teammate Marquinhos revealing the star forward is undergoing 24-hour physiotherapy as he continues his recovery from an ankle injury sustained in their opening win over Serbia.
– Brazil have confirmed he will miss their second match against Switzerland on Monday, with sources saying he will also likely miss their third and final match of the group stage against Cameroon on Dec. 2.
– Tite also said the high number of fouls on Neymar “has to be stopped” after the forward was injured in their group-stage win over Serbia.
Also Read: Neymar out of Brazil’s final 2 group games due to an injury
– Neymar appeared to be in tears on the bench after being substituted in the 80th minute with a sprained ankle.
– The 30-year-old was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Nikola Milenkovic in the 2-0 win on Thursday.
– “If you want to celebrate the football, you have to pay attention to the fouls,” said Tite.
– “They focus on specific players. This is the effect. This has to be stopped.”
– Since his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar has been fouled 53 times in the competition, at least 11 more than any other player.
– There were fears that the injury Neymar sustained — with right-back Danilo also forced off in the match with an ankle injury — would see them sidelined for the rest of the tournament, but Tite said Sunday he expects to have both available at some stage in the competition.
– Neymar will not play in Brazil’s remaining group stages matches, but Tite said he remained confident the Paris St-Germain forward would feature again at the World Cup.
– “I believe that Neymar and Danilo will play the World Cup,” Tite told a news conference. “I believe in that. Medically, clinically, they can talk more about the stages of the treatment. [But] I have no place to talk. I trust that we will be able to use both of them.”
Tite, sobre o prazo para Neymar e Danilo voltarem para a Copa:
– Eu acredito que o Neymar e o Danilo vão jogar a Copa, eu. Medicamente, clinicamente, não tenho lugar de fala.#EsportudoNaCopa
📸 EFE pic.twitter.com/wb8d5x3HQT
— Goleada Info 🏆🇧🇷 (@goleada_info) November 27, 2022
– Neymar was replaced in the 80th minute of their 2-0 win, but it was later revealed he sustained the injury earlier in the match after a robust tackle from Nikola Milenkovic.
– Tite accepted responsibility for not substituting Neymar sooner, saying he did not realise the forward had picked up an injury.
– “He was injured, I didn’t see that he was injured, we didn’t have that information, I didn’t notice,” Tite said. “The information didn’t come, it didn’t come, he tried to stay in the field, until he fell. At that moment he was able to continue for the team, to participate in the goals.”
– Brazil defender Marquinhos revealed Neymar is sleeping in the physiotherapy room at their hotel in Doha, Qatar. The defender said Neymar has gone through a variety of emotions since sustaining the injury but is focused on playing a role in this World Cup.
– “I think that, at the time, at the moment, it’s a delicate, difficult situation,” Marquinhos said of Neymar’s injury. “After the match, I saw him sad, it’s normal, because of everything he dreamed of, wanted, the desire he had.
– “But today, after exams, treatment, he is sleeping in physiotherapy, doing physiotherapy 24 hours a day. This shows how much he wants to be with us, that’s it. We don’t know when. Today we see him much better. It’s very important to be with us. a good head, which greatly influences this moment of recovery. I see him very confident when he returns. And that helps with his return.”
Marquinhos, sobre a recuperação de Neymar:
– Hoje, após exames, tratamento, ele está dormindo na fisioterapia, fazendo 24 horas por dia, isso mostra o quanto ele quer estar de volta com a gente.
#EsportudoNaCopa
📸 Reprodução pic.twitter.com/Q60pqtBbJP
— Goleada Info 🏆🇧🇷 (@goleada_info) November 27, 2022
– Marquinhos said the squad is strong enough to cope without Neymar and Danilo, but emphasised how important they are to the team.
– “In a World Cup, [as Tite] can say, he wanted to have the 26 players available. But we showed before and we are ready to show again that the group is strong, well trained, ready for any divergence.
– “That was said, we know, that not always the team that starts will finish. Sometimes due to injury, because one is better than the other.”
