Neymar will miss the beginning of the next Saudi Pro League season due to a serious knee injury, Al Hilal’s coach announced on Tuesday.
The Brazilian forward sustained the injury in October, causing him to miss a significant portion of the current season.
Despite his absence, Al Hilal clinched their 19th league title earlier this month.
The Saudi Pro League typically commences in August, meaning Neymar will also be unavailable for next month’s Copa America. The former Barcelona and PSG star will focus on his recovery to return to the field.
“All I know now is that the time given to Neymar to recover and with similar injuries it is approximately from 10 to 11 months,” Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus told reporters in Riyadh.
“If we calculate mathematically, he will not be ready at the beginning of pre-season training,” added Jesus, whose champions have two games left in the current league campaign.
The 32-year-old Neymar underwent surgery in Brazil in November to address a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage. His injury occurred during Brazil’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier in October, where he was stretchered off in tears after colliding with an opponent.
Recently, Neymar was present at ringside to witness Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury to claim boxing’s first undisputed world heavyweight championship in 25 years in Riyadh on Sunday.
Neymar’s move from PSG to Al Hilal in 2023 marked another high-profile transfer to the big-spending Saudi Pro League. He earns a staggering 100 million euros per season in Saudi Arabia, with PSG receiving a corresponding 100 million euros in the deal.
