Al-Hilal provide Neymar Jr injury update after he picked up knock in their recent AFC Champions League win
Al-Hilal have provided an injury update regarding Neymar Jr, who picked up a knock in their 3-0 win over Esteghlal on Monday. The two sides faced off in an AFC Champions League clash at the Kingdom Arena, where Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a hat-trick.
While Al-Hilal enjoyed their win, concerns were raised about Neymar, who entered the pitch in the 58th minute as a substitute for Abdullah Al-Hamdan. He couldn't complete the game and had to be taken off for Mohammed Al-Qahtani in the 87th minute.
After the game, Al Hilal boss Jorge Jesus said in his press conference (via ESPN):
"Unfortunately, it is not a simple injury, and he seems to be suffering from muscle pain and it is not a knee issue."
Neymar also spoke about the injury on Instagram, saying (via ESPN):
"Hopefully nothing too much... 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."
According to Fabrizio Romano on X, Al-Hilal have confirmed that Neymar will be out of contention for four to six weeks.
The Brazilian winger is only just coming back from a year-long injury that saw him play just five games last season. After finally getting back onto the pitch, the 32-year-old will be understandably concerned that he has managed barely an hour of football before going off injured again.
Could Neymar Jr leave Al-Hilal for Inter Miami?
Life in Saudi Arabia has not gone well for Neymar Jr so far, as he has managed just seven games since he joined the club in the summer of 2023. This has started rumors about his potential exit from the club.
Notably, the winger recently made a property purchase in Miami, Florida, which only added to rumors about a potential move to Inter Miami. If he does move to the club, he could play with former teammates Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Luis Suarez.
Herons boss Tata Martino has addressed the rumors about such a move in the future. Speaking to the press, he said (via FourFourTwo):
"With [Lionel Messi] and the boys already here, anything can happen. What I can't imagine is if the league doesn't make the salary issue more flexible, how it would be carried out."
However, he rubbished rumors connecting the Brazilian's property purchase to an Inter Miami move, adding:
"Everyone that buys at home here is going to come to play? The truth is that one cannot talk so easily and freely about whether a player could come or not. It seems to me that when we talk about this, another type of support is needed."
It is uncertain if the winger will leave Al-Hilal and switch Saudi Arabia for the United States. There are already reports from the Middle Eastern Kingdom (via intermiami.news) claiming that Al-Hilal plan to unregister Neymar in 2025. Time will tell if this potentially leads to a reunion for the winger in the MLS.