With Tite’s 23-man squad – sans Champions League finalists Roberto Firmino, Casemiro and Marcelo – having linked up at their Granja Comary base in Rio de Janeiro state at the beginning of the week, the Seleção’s official doctor Rodrigo Lasmar and “physical preparer” Fábio Mahseredjian have become focal parts of their country’s readiness for Russia 2018 and important points of contact for the media.
This is of course due to recent developments that at one point saw Neymar, who picked up a season-ending ankle injury for PSG in a February clash against Marseille, doubtful for the upcoming tournament and his club and international teammate Dani Alves, who, as football’s most successful player in terms of silverware offered an invaluable wealth of experience to a young changing room, ruled out altogether from being able to get his hands one of the few trophies that has eluded him thus far.
Speaking to gathered press yesterday who hung on his every word, there were fresh revelations from Lasmar, who informed reporters that Neymar’s positional rival Douglas Costa, coming off the back of arguably his greatest individual season at Juventus and stepping in excellently for the former Barcelona man in friendlies this year, is carrying his own knock with a previously unknown thigh injury leaving him doubtful for Brazil’s upcoming ties.
“Douglas Costa felt some discomfort in his left thigh” Lasmar began. “Fábio established contact with him and when he came here to do an exam, it was shown that he has a muscular lesion” confirmed the doctor, who is also employed in an official capacity by Atlético-MG.
“We don’t hope to have Douglas [back in action] in the next few days.” Lasmar lamented. “His participation in the first friendly (against Croatia at Anfield on June 3rd) will be evaluated but we have enough time to prepare the athlete for the World Cup” he insisted.
An update on Alves’ replacement Fagner, also confined to the sidelines and directly competing with Danilo of Manchester City for a right-back starting berth, was similarly requested: “Fagner is recovering from an injury as expected and we already know that he hasn’t had the disposition to train with the ball this week. We have the expectation that as of next week he will start working on the field and maybe even play in the first friendly” Lasmar concluded.
In some much-welcomed good news however, Lasmar’s colleague Mahseredjian insisted that Neymar is recovering “above what was hoped”. “Soon he’ll start training with all the group. How he’ll arrive [in Russia] we still don’t know” continued Mahseredjian.
“The expectations are very positive and we’re working with the athlete at an accelerated pace or less” he went on. “Neymar [and his physical condition] is above what we hoped” Mahseredjian finished, before going on to confirm that the forward will be treated in London in the following weeks.
“He’s an athlete of the highest level who can do different things to help us. We have a month until the first game. With group training here, monitored how it is, Neymar is very well prepared. In London, with stronger work, we will speed up the process to get him back into the rhythm of the game” promised Mahseredjian.
