Neymar Misses Training after Several Knocks in Selecao’s Draw with Swiss

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar was one of three Brazil players absent from training on Monday after sustaining a knock during the 1-1 Group E draw with Switzerland.

Neymar failed to escape the close attentions of man marker Valon Behrami and the rest of the Swiss team during the game in Rostov-on-Don and was fouled a total of 10 times, the most any single player has been fouled in a World Cup game since 1998.

According to Sky Sports, Neymar stayed inside to do gym work on Monday alongside Thiago Silva and Paulinho while the rest of the squad participated in a full outdoor session ahead of their next group stage fixture against Costa Rica on Friday.

After missing the final few months of the 2017/18 club season for PSG, Neymar’s fitness was a huge talking point ahead of the World Cup as he raced back from a broken metatarsal in his right foot.

The 26-year-old was an instrumental figure during Brazil’s World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring six goals and adding nine assists in 14 games. However, he wasn’t able to have the same impact in the draw with Switzerland as he was constantly harassed and hounded throughout the match.

The knock inflicted by Switzerland’s heavy handed approach was to his left foot.

“I was hit and I was aching, but it’s nothing to worry about,” said Neymar, who managed to complete 90 minutes of the match.

Neymar unfortunately saw his 2014 World Cup on home soil ended after suffering a back injury in a quarter-final win over Colombia. Without him and the equally stricken Thiago Silva, Brazil were humiliated in a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany in the very next game.

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