Neymar’s return to Santos reportedly postponed to avoid injury setback as Brazil return looms

Neymar‘s fitness has been one of the major storylines Santos in early 2026, when the star began a recovery process to address the meniscus injury he suffered last year. Even though we are now training together with the team, Neymar’s return to the pitch has reportedly been postponed to avoid a setback and ensure he is fit to return to action. Brazil national team.

After surgery in December Neymar has not appeared in any of the nine matches Santos has been playing since the beginning of this year. The former Barcelona star has made steady progress and is now taking part in training with the rest of his teammates, but conditions at the stadium have meant his return has been postponed.

As reported by Globo Esporte, Santos has decided to rest Neymar for Thursday’s Brasileirao match against Athletico Paranaense. The main reason is the synthetic surface in Arena da Baixadathe opponent’s stadium, as the club wants to avoid any potential injury risk for its star.

The same situation applies to signing a marquee Gabriel “GabigolBarbosa, who unlike Neymar, did not participate in training on Wednesday and has to do with muscle pain. That leaves Santos without two key players after opening the 2026 Brazilian top-flight season with one draw and one loss.

While Neymar has already recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Skipping matches played on synthetic surfaces has been team policy since last season. On November 6, when the Peixe was still in the relegation zone, the attacker missed a match against Palmeiras that ended in a 2-0 defeat, because Allianz Parque used artificial grass.

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After his standout performances helped Santos avoid relegation, Neymar’s last appearance was against Cruzeiro on December 7, meaning he has now been without match action for more than two months. His return is currently expected on Sunday the 15th when Santos hosts Velo Clube in the final round of the Campeonato Paulista.

Will Neymar return to the Brazilian national team?

With seven matches in the Campeonato Paulista and two in the Brasileirao already played, Neymar has missed nine games, and if he also sits out against Athletico Paranaense, that total will increase to ten. With the March international break less than two months away, questions are growing over whether the 34-year-old star will finally make his return to the national team.

Brazil, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, will travel to the United States to play France on the 26th and Croatia on the 31st. Before then, Santos has matches against Velo Clube, Vasco da Gama (26/02), Mirassol (10/03), Corinthians (15/03), Internacional (18/03) and Cruzeiro (22/03) — six chances, or possibly five given the tight schedule, for Neymar to convince the Italian manager to call him up and returning to the Canarinha after more than two years.