Carlo Ancelotti said Neymar could train with Brazil next week if an MRI after the weekend goes well, a sign that the forward’s recovery is moving forward but still needs one more medical checkpoint before he is cleared for full team work.
That update matters now because Brazil play Egypt on Saturday in their last international friendly before the competition, and the coaching staff is using the match to sort out what comes next. For readers following Neymar’s return, this is the first clear timeline attached to his rehabilitation: individual work now, imaging after the weekend, and a possible step back into the group next week if the scan brings a clean result.
Ancelotti said Neymar is doing excellent individual work, but the team will not rush him into contact training just because the recovery is progressing. That distinction matters. The coach made it clear that progress on its own does not trigger an automatic return to full-intensity sessions, which means Neymar’s path back still depends on what the MRI shows and how the staff reads it.
Brazil have other decisions to make at the same time. Gabriel Magalhaes will miss Saturday’s match because of physical fatigue after the Champions League final, Douglas Santos is set to start at left back and Weverton is expected to play in the second half. Ancelotti also plans to use the game as a final test, with Lucas Paqueta starting and Igor Thiago getting a look as Brazil search for alternatives beyond a system that is already well established.
The timing leaves little room for hesitation. Brazil begin the Group C stage on June 13 against Morocco, then face Haiti, so Saturday’s friendly is the last major chance to measure depth, settle roles and see whether Neymar is close enough to the squad to rejoin the group next week. For now, his return is no longer framed as a distant hope; it is tied to one MRI and one more week of evaluation.
