Rio de Janeiro, May 3 (H.S.): Brazilian football club Santos’ president Marcelo Teixeira announced on Friday that the club is working on extending Neymar’s contract until the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite Neymar currently struggling with an injury, the club wants to keep him for a long time.

Neymar made his return to Santos, the club where he started his career, this January. After spending over a decade in Europe and Saudi Arabia, he signed a six-month contract with Santos. The 33-year-old has played 9 matches for the club since his return, scoring 3 goals and providing 3 assists.

Club president Teixeira stated, When we brought Neymar back, we knew he was recovering from a serious injury. Keeping this in mind, we have dedicated our medical team and recovery facilities to Neymar. Our goal is to monitor his return to the field in such a way that he stays with us until the World Cup.

Neymar Struggling with Injuries

Neymar returned to the field last October but has since been plagued by recurring muscle issues in his legs. Previously, he had been away from football for over a year due to a serious knee injury.

Appointment of a New Coach

Meanwhile, due to poor performance in the Brazilian league, Santos is currently in 19th place out of 20 teams. The club recently appointed former assistant coach of the Brazilian national team, Kleber Javier, as the new manager following the departure of head coach Pedro Caixinha.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar