""We are not going to observe how Neymar plays, obviously. Everyone knows his talent," Ancelotti told ESPN Brasil. "In modern football, to take advantage of his talent, the player has to be in good physical condition. If he is in his best physical condition, he will have no problems being in the national team. "Everyone wants Neymar in the national team in good physical condition. I spoke with him, and I said, 'You have time to prepare in the best way to be there and help the team try to do their best in the World Cup'.""
"It was originally stated that Neymar had been left out of the September squad due to injury, which the striker disputed, and Ancelotti later confirmed he had been left out due to "technical" reasons."
Neymar has not played for Brazil since October 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Since recovering, Neymar returned to boyhood club Santos and has scored six goals and provided three assists. Neymar has been excluded from recent Brazil squads amid ongoing injury issues; the September omission was attributed to injury, a claim Neymar denied, and the later official reason given was "technical". Fitness, rather than talent, will determine Neymar's inclusion in the World Cup squad. Brazil qualified for the 2026 World Cup but finished qualifying in fifth place after a final 1-0 loss to Bolivia. Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals and has 128 caps, the second-most behind Cafu.
Read at Soccer News
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