Head coach of Al Hilal, Jorge Jesus, has indicated that Neymar is not yet prepared to make a quick comeback following nearly a year on the sidelines due to a knee injury.
The Brazilian forward signed with the Saudi Pro League club in August 2023, but his time on the pitch was limited to just five matches before suffering a significant knee injury while representing his country last October, which included a rupture of his meniscus and ACL.
After undergoing surgery, Neymar resumed training in July, leading to increasing speculation about his imminent return.
However, in a post-match press conference, Jesus tempered those expectations, suggesting that the player still needs more time to fully recover.
“Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general,” Jesus, who led Al Hilal to a 19th league title in May, said on Tuesday. “I can’t, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January.”
Neymar will be able to be registered by Al Hilal in January for the second half of the SPL season.
With SPL teams allowed to register a maximum of eight foreign players over the age of 21, Neymar’s place in the roster for the first half of the league campaign was taken by Marcos Leonardo, signed from Benfica earlier in September.
However, upon his return to fitness, Neymar is eligible to appear in Al Hilal’s ongoing AFC Champions League Elite campaign, as the continental competition has no restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed.
His contract at the club is due to expire in August 2025.