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Barcelona forward Neymar injured himself in training trying to perform a sombrero. The Ballon d’Or nominee picked up a groin injury trying to escape the attentions of Luis Suarez in training and looks set to miss the next few games.
The Brazilian forward was training with Suarez ahead of Barcelona’s tie against Bayer Leverkusen, taking part in Barcelona’s usual ‘rondos’, where one person attempts to regain the ball as a circle of players pass the ball around him. As Suarez attempted to intercept the ball, Neymar attempted a sombrero, which involves flicking the ball over the opponents head. Neymar sucessfuly flicked the ball over Suarez’s head, but stretched too far trying to keep control of the ball, when he felt a a tweak in his groin.
Following scans today, Barcelona have confirmed that Neymar suffered an injury. A statement from the club read “Tests conducted this morning by FC Barcelona medical staff confirmed that Neymar Jr has a small tear in the adductor muscle of his left leg.”
“The evolution of the tear will determine his availability for the next matches”.
Neymar could miss FIFA Club World Cup
The Brazilian has been in scintillating form this season, scoring 16 goals from 18 games and earning the Liga BBVA’s ‘Player of the Month’ for November, the first Barcelona player to ever earn the award. Despite the injury, Neymar will travel with the Barcelona squad to Japan, where they will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Neymar is scheduled to undergo physiotherapy sessions on the plane to Japan, with a hope to get him ready for Barcelona’s opening game. However, scans have confirmed that the Brazilian is a doubt for the Barcelona’s first game on 17th December, the semifinals of the tournament. If Barcelona do make it to the finals, Neymar has a small chance to play on the 20th of December.
Neymar will definitely miss Barcelona’s weekend encounter against Deportivo on Saturday. The Catalans are on top of the table by a single point and will count on Messi and Suarez to ensure Neymar is not missed, so that they can potentially open up a gap at the top of the table. The Blaugrana missed Neymar’s incisiveness against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, as a second-string side failed to win their final group game.
