No Neymar return until 2025, says Al-Hilal boss Jesus

Neymar will not return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury until January 2025 at the earliest, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus has warned.

Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for Al-Hilal in a €90million deal in August 2023, becoming one of the faces of the Saudi Pro League’s major recruitment drive.

However, he only played five matches for the club before rupturing his ACL while on international duty with Brazil last October.

The 32-year-old subsequently missed the remainder of the season as well as the Selecao’s ill-fated Copa America campaign, and he remains some way away from a return.

Neymar was removed from Al-Hilal’s Saudi Pro League squad in September, with the 19-time champions only able to register a maximum of eight foreign players for the first half of the season.

Reports had suggested Neymar was close to a return after Al-Hilal posted footage of him training on social media, but Jesus says Brazil’s all-time leading scorer must wait until the halfway point of the campaign before being considered.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by نادي الهلال السعودي (@alhilal)

“Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general,” Jesus told reporters on Tuesday.

“I can’t, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January.”

With no restrictions on foreign players featuring in the AFC Champions League, Neymar could, in theory, play in that competition if he returns to fitness before January.