Neymar not – Brazil forward Neymar will not travel with the squad for Friday’s World Cup group game against Haiti in Philadelphia, with the Brazilian football association saying he will remain in New Jersey to continue recovering from a calf injury.
MIAMI — Neymar will not travel with Brazil’s squad for its second World Cup group game against Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday as he continues to recover from a calf injury, the Brazilian football association said.
The team’s statement Thursday said the 34-year-old forward will remain in New Jersey to “make the most of the final stage of his recovery,” using the facilities at The Ridge hotel and the Columbia Park training center.
Neymar was seen doing drills with the squad after warming up separately in boots and with the ball during a training session on Wednesday. Even then, Brazil kept a cautious approach: he had been limited to indoor work at the team’s training center with physiotherapists and fitness coaches.
The injury underscores how carefully Brazil is managing his return. Neymar injured his right calf during Santos’ 3-0 defeat by Coritiba last month. It’s part of a long run of injuries and physical setbacks for the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward. who has not played for Brazil in almost three years.
On the field, Brazil enters the match with one point after opening its World Cup campaign with a draw against Morocco, while Haiti sits at the bottom of the group after losing to Scotland.
The sequence of events is tight and telling: Neymar drills with the group after an individual warm-up. yet the association still decides he won’t make the trip. The choice shifts the focus of Friday’s match to whoever fills the space he’s been expected to occupy—just as Brazil tries to move past an unsettled start to its tournament.
Neymar Brazil Haiti World Cup group match Philadelphia calf injury New Jersey The Ridge hotel Columbia Park training center Santos Coritiba Morocco Scotland
So he’s just… staying in New Jersey??
I don’t get it, they say he’s recovering but he was literally training with the team. Like what’s the point of the separation then.
Isn’t Haiti playing in Miami? lol the article mentions Miami at the start so I assumed it’s there. Either way, calf injuries are always weird like he can do drills but can’t travel? Sounds more like rest/PR than injury.
Neymar can’t go to Philly because of a calf, but then he’s seen doing drills and warmups with boots and the ball like 2 days ago. Makes me think they’re worried he’ll get booed or something if he plays and gets hurt again. Also Brazil’s already struggling with Morocco draw… this Haiti game should be easy on paper, so not bringing him feels like overthinking.