Brazilian winger, Neymar has broken his silence after being left out of Brazil’s squad for this month’s friendlies, admitting he is struggling to hide his disappointment.
The Santos forward was omitted by head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who released his squad on Monday ahead of clashes with France and Croatia. The decision was put down to fitness concerns, with the Italian insisting the forward is not yet at full strength.
Speaking at an event in São Paulo, Neymar made his feelings clear.
“I’m going to speak here, because I can’t keep this quiet,” Neymar told Mad House, via Foot Mercato. “Obviously, I’m disappointed and sad not to have been selected. But I remain focused, day after day, training after training, match after match. We are going to reach our goal. There is still the final selection.”
The omission raises fresh questions about Neymar’s readiness as the countdown to the World Cup gathers pace. The former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward is still working his way back to peak condition at Santos FC.
Santos have endured a slow start to the Brasileiro Serie A season, sitting 14th after managing just one win from six matches. Neymar now has a narrow window to impress, starting with their upcoming fixture against SC Internacional.
Brazil, meanwhile, will face France and Croatia without one of their biggest names, as Ancelotti assesses his options ahead of naming his final World Cup squad on May 19.
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al Nassr), Éderson (Fenerbahce).
Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Danilo (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Ibañez (Al-Ahly), Léo Pereira (Flamengo), Marquinhos (PSG), Wesley (Roma).
Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray).
Forwards: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), João Pedro (Chelsea).