Neymar is ready to play through pain to help Santos in their fight against relegation, sources have told ESPN.
The Brazil forward sat out Monday’s 1-1 league draw at Internacional as a precaution after experiencing discomfort in his left knee in the clash with Mirassol on Nov. 19th.
Sources have told ESPN Brasil that Neymar, 33, will likely require arthroscopic surgery at the end of the season to treat a meniscus injury in his left knee.
Contrary to medical advice, Neymar trained on Wednesday with Santos and could be included in the squad for Friday’s league game against Sport.
Sources have told ESPN Brasil that although Neymar wants to play, Santos’ medical department have advised against it.
They want Neymar to continue with conservative treatment in order to return for Santos’ last two league games against Juventude and Cruzeiro.
Santos president Marcelo Teixeira is optimistic that Neymar will feature on Friday but insists no decision will be taken that could affect the player’s health.
“It’s about expectation and hope,” Teixeira said.
“I’m not a doctor, nor do I follow the decisions, which should be exclusive to the health department. As I said, he trained, trained well, didn’t feel anything, we’ll evaluate him again. It’s not the board that evaluates, it’s the club’s professionals who evaluate this.
“There’s a possibility, that’s the expectation, without any kind of sacrifice, nothing that would harm the player or Santos. We want to have players prepared for a battle like this.”
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Santos are in the relegation zone, one point and one place adrift of safety.
Neymar had surgery on his left knee to reconstruct an ACL tear and a torn meniscus two years ago.
The Brazil international, who is hoping to play in his fourth World Cup next year, has struggled with fitness problems since returning to his boyhood club in January.
Information from ESPN’s Adriana Garcia contributed to this report.
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