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The Brazilian footballing superstar Neymar could get forced into waiting for a month to make his Al-Hilal debut, due to an injury, according to the head coach Jorge Jesus. The 31-year-old joined the Saudi Arabian football club from Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract with a transfer fee of $98.6 million on August 15, Tuesday.
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Neymar is expected to walk away with an annual salary of around $100 million from Al-Hilal, one of the four clubs alongside Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, and Al-Ittihad, owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia from June of this year. He will play at the Riyadh-based club with new teammates like Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined the club earlier in the summer transfer window.
At the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Neymar made his presence felt for the first time, cheered by thousands of fans of Al-Hilal, during his official presentation for the club on August 19, Saturday. The former Barcelona player also watched his new team get held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Feiha in the Saudi Pro League, along with 60,000 spectators at the stadium.
After this pulsating match, Jorge Jesus, the head coach of Al-Hilal talked about what’s next for Neymar in the club. He said, “Neymar arrived injured, he has a small muscular problem. I don't know when exactly he will return and be ready to play and train normally.”
The 69-year-old also expressed his surprise at the inclusion of Neymar in the Brazilian squad for the upcoming two World Cup qualifier matches next month against Bolivia and Peru. “He (Neymar) shouldn't be available to the Brazilian national team and shouldn't travel to join them. He is in rehab now,” remarked the Portuguese.
