Neymar Junior, the Al Hilal player, has expressed his desire to return to the football pitch but insists on not rushing things.
“First of all, I want to play again, which is the most important thing. I miss it a lot. These months have been very difficult. It’s not an easy injury where you have surgery, recover, and that’s it.
No, that’s not the case. I think it’s more mental than anything else. I’ve had to prepare myself mentally a lot to keep the desire to play football. That’s the most important thing I’m thinking about right now. I’m not thinking about titles, victories, goals, or anything,” Neymar revealed.
“I’m thinking about recovering as quickly as possible and playing again. We don’t have a return date yet. It was planned for September, but we still don’t know; it depends on how things progress. I’m not in a hurry; I want to come back in good shape. As soon as I step on the field, I have to be 100%. I don’t want to come back halfway. Whether I’m out for 10 months, a year, or 15 months, it doesn’t matter. I have to come back 100%, and that’s what I want,” he added, as reported by L’Equipe.
Hopefully, the 32-year-old will not experience such an injury again in the future.
As a reminder, in mid-October, Neymar suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, keeping him off the field at least until the end of the season. Any hope of him returning in time for this summer’s Copa America was quickly dismissed by the Brazilian national team doctor.
“Six weeks after the operation, we don’t have the time. It’s too early; there’s no point in rushing back early and taking unnecessary risks. We hope he’ll be ready to play at the start of the 2024 season in Europe, which is in August,” said Rodrigo Lasmar, the Selecao’s doctor.
Currently tied to his Saudi club Al-Hilal until 2025, Neymar has reportedly been offered a one-year contract extension by his club, as reported in the local Saudi press.
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