Santos offer fresh injury update on Neymar and come up with new plan for Brazilian superstar

The 33-year-old forward returned to his roots after agreeing to the termination of his lucrative contract at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. His time in the Middle East was cut short after nursing a number of physical ailments – including knee ligament damage, which kept him sidelined for 12 months.

Neymar enjoyed a bright start to his second stint with Santos, as goals and confidence began to flow once more, but he finds himself back on the treatments table at present. The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has missed another month of action.

He will sit out a meeting with Vasco da Gama on Sunday, with no risks being taken on his recovery. Santos have stated that Neymar will now follow a "physical transition" plan. The intention is to "improve his recovery and strengthening” and avoid “longer periods of inactivity, a situation that often occurs after a long period of absence, as was his case."

Neymar is "being re-evaluated weekly to determine the progression of his activities" and "continues to progress in his daily rehabilitation at the training centre". Santos coach Pedro Caixinha added: "Now we're preparing him for the training cycle, and then we'll prepare him for the training and match cycle. It's a process that requires patience to get him ready."

Brazil’s all-time leading scorer is eager to return to the pitch as soon as possible, having been forced to withdraw from his latest international selection. He is continuing a countdown to the 2026 World Cup, but has been making as many headlines for his behaviour off the field of late as he was on it.