Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | XINHUA | Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has been cut from Brazil’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay after failing to recover from a thigh injury.
The 28-year-old had already been ruled out of the clash with Venezuela in Sao Paulo on Friday but hoped to be available for the duel with Uruguay in Montevideo next Tuesday.
“We were hopeful that he could play, that’s why we brought him to Brazil,” team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said.
“He improved but not enough so that he’ll be ready for the game on Tuesday against Uruguay.”
The former Barcelona and Santos star has not played since Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 Champions League win over Istanbul Basaksehir on October 28.
Brazil beat Bolivia and Peru last month in their opening two qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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XINHUA