Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday he has no plans to replace Neymar in his World Cup squad and brushed off questions about whether he would have selected the forward had he known the extent of his calf injury.
Neymar has been out of action with a right calf problem since May 17 and has not featured for Brazil since suffering an ACL tear in October 2023, however he was called up by Ancelotti for Brazil’s squad last week.
Santos had diagnosed Neymar with an edema causing swelling in his calf but were confident the player would be fit this week. Subsequent tests when he joined the Brazil team revealed he has a grade 2 muscle strain and would be out for a further two to three weeks.
Asked on Saturday whether he would have called up Neymar had he known the injury was a grade-two strain rather than swelling, Ancelotti responded with a joke.
“If my grandad had wheels, he’d be a car,” he said. “Since I decided on the squad, Neymar was in the 26.”
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Ancelotti said the Brazilian Football Confederation took charge of Neymar’s medical situation after the player had already been selected in the 26-man squad.
Ancelotti reiterated that he expects Neymar to remain part of Brazil’s World Cup plans and said the forward could still be available later in the group stage even if he misses the team’s opening match against Morocco on June 13.
“We thought he might be fit for the first World Cup match,” he said. “If he’s not fit for the first match, he’ll be fit for the second. So we have no doubt about it.
“I’m not going to make any changes. The 26 players selected are the ones who will play in the World Cup.”
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The Italian coach also said he had spoken with Neymar about his role in the team, adding that the forward is working hard to regain fitness.
After opening its World Cup campaign against Morocco, Brazil will face Haiti on June 18 and Scotland on June 23.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
