Brazilian superstar Neymar can't catch a break with his health.
The Al Hilal forward recently returned from a 12-month absence due to injury and in his second appearance following the lay-off on Monday, Neymar came up limping and grabbing his hamstring. The club announced on Wednesday that he will miss 4-6 weeks and his future with the Saudi Arabian outfit is in doubt, per multiple reports.
“Unfortunately, it is not a simple injury and he seems to be suffering from muscle pain and it is not a knee issue,” Al Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said Wednesday in a news conference in Riyadh, per ESPN.
The former Barcelona standout hopped on social media and gave an update on his latest setback:
“Hopefully nothing too much,” Neymar wrote. “It's normal that after one year [out] this happens, the doctors had already warned me, so I have to be careful and play more minutes.”
The 32-year-old just recovered from an ACL injury in his knee, but it doesn't appear the two injuries are related. Al Hilal paid $90 million to sign Neymar in August of 2023 but he's made just seven appearances for the Riyadh-based club since then.
With his deal ending in the summer of 2025, there's speculation that Al Hilal may not register Neymar for the second half of the campaign in January, which is understandable given his lack of availability. After all, they brought him in to be a difference-maker in the final third and instead, he's barely seen the pitch.
If Neymar does leave Al Hilal, it's hard to imagine he'll garner much interest from top-notch clubs because he's barely played across the last two seasons. To be honest, injuries have haunted him since leaving Barcelona for PSG in 2017.
Al Hilal is reportedly eyeing Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah as a potential replacement for Neymar, too. The Egyptian has yet to sign a new deal at Anfield and is allowed to speak to other clubs in January.
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