Bad news continues to dog Neymar. After being left out by Carlo Ancelotti for Brazil’s friendlies against Croatia and France on March 26 and 31, his new coach at Santos also did not call him up for the match against Cruzeiro on the eighth matchday of the Brazilian Serie A Championship.
Thus, Cuca, who has returned to the club and will begin his fourth stint there, will make his coaching debut without the No. 10 on the field and explained his reasons.
Neymar, absent for Santos’ visit to Cruzeiro
The Brazilian star has made five appearances since his return, with three goals and two assists after recovering from another surgery on his left knee. He was recently sidelined for the match against Mirassol due to a muscle strain caused by excessive fatigue in training, and although he played against Corinthians and Internacional, he was ruled out for the match against Cruzeiro.
Cuca, the team’s new coach following the dismissal of Juan Pablo Vojvoda, has acknowledged that Ney is not in optimal condition to play, as “there is a risk of injury due to workload management.”
In addition, Cuca revealed that this decision was made in consultation with the 34-year-old player and that they spoke privately about his complicated physical condition: “I spoke with him separately. He won’t play on Sunday because he played two games in a row. We can’t take that risk,” he explained (via Olé).
However, beyond this match he will miss, Neymar has only 16 games left before the World Cup to prove on the field that he is capable of playing his final tournament with the Verdeamarela, after Carletto did not include him on the list of players traveling to the United States for the two pre-tournament friendlies due to his physical condition.
Considering that his participation in all these matches is highly doubtful since he needs to recover 100%, at the same time, his absence could hurt him, as the number 10 also needs consistency to perform well and be considered by the Italian coach.
Meanwhile, his presence will not only depend on Ancelotti’s decision but will be entirely determined by his performance and physical condition.
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