Before the world asked about Neymar Jr’s ankle injury, Brazil doctor Rodrigo Lasmar provided an update. That it would need 24 to 48 hours before the extent could be properly assessed, he said. “For now, we are not looking at an MRI,” Lasmar said after Brazil beat Serbia 2-0 at Lusail Stadium in on Thursday.
There was a “direct trauma” leading to a sprain on his right ankle, said Lasmar, following a knock from the knee Serbia’s Nikola Milenkovic. The staff immediately started ice treatment, he said.
It was one of the nine fouls on the Brazil star. There were four free-kicks that Neymar won leading him being the most fouled player in this edition even though he has played only 79 minutes in the competition.
Neymar, said head coach Tite, played for 11 minutes with the injury “to help the team”, an effort he termed was “remarkable.” Tite said he didn’t know that Neymar was hurt and realised he was in pain only when the player set the move for the second play with a pass that found Vinicius Jr.
Asked about a possible replacement, Tite said he was “confident” that Neymar would continue in the World Cup. That would reassure Brazil, a country of 200 million, which missed Neymar due to an injury after the quarter-final of the 2014 finals.
Richarlison, who scored a brace in Thursday’s 2-0 win against Serbia, said he couldn’t speak to Neymar because he had to go for a dope test. “But once back, I will call him. I will tell him to put a lot of ice and get ready because we need him to be 100%. I will tell him to be careful.”