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| Neymar falls down after being injured last month playing against Lille midfielder Benjamin Andre [File: Franck Fife/AFP] |
Brazilian footballer Neymar will undergo a season-ending surgery on his right ankle and will be out for up to four months, French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) say.
Neymar will miss the club’s Champions League match at Bayern
Munich on Wednesday and will be operated on in the coming days at a hospital in
Doha, Qatar, PSG said on Monday.
“Neymar Jr has presented several episodes of instability of
the right ankle in recent years,” PSG said in a statement.
“Following his last sprain on February 20, the Paris
Saint-Germain medical staff recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a
major risk of recurrence,” the club said. “All the experts consulted have
confirmed this necessity.”
The 31-year-old forward, who has 13 goals and 11 assists in
Ligue 1 this season, picked up his latest injury last month in a 4-3 win over
Lille.
He also injured his right ankle in Brazil’s opening match at
last year’s World Cup in Qatar, but he was able to return later in the
tournament.
Neymar has not played with PSG since he was stretchered off
the field against Lille, but his absence has coincided with his team’s
resurgence as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi raised their level in recent
weeks.
PSG trail Bayern 1-0 ahead of the second leg in the round of
16 of the Champions League.
It’s not the first time the Brazilian forward has missed
important games with PSG. Neymar has been sidelined for spells with foot,
groin, rib and ankle injuries since joining the club for a record $269m from
Barcelona in 2017.
In 2018, Neymar suffered a foot injury before an important
Champions League match against Real Madrid. PSG were eliminated by the Spanish
club in the last 16.
A year later, he missed the last 16 against Manchester
United. Neymar was injured again in 2021, this time in his left adductor, and
was out when PSG faced Barcelona.