Neymar’s latest injury is analysed by sports doctor and it doesn’t sound good

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·18 October 2023

Neymar’s latest injury is analysed by sports doctor and it doesn’t sound good

Highlights

Neymar's injury during the World Cup qualifier has raised concerns about a potential torn ACL, according to sports doctor Brian Sutterer MD.
Sutterer analyzed the mechanics of the injury and pointed out the knee abduction moment and the tibial plateau position, which are indicative of an ACL injury.
Neymar's absence due to the injury could impact Brazil's World Cup hopes, as they aim to qualify for the 2026 tournament without their star player.

Brazil fans feared for the worst as their star man Neymar left the field of play on a stretcher in their 2-0 World Cup qualifier defeat against Uruguay. Shortly before the interval, the former Barcelona ace went down clutching his left knee after he awkwardly planted his foot in contention for the ball with Nicolas de la Cruz at the Centenario Stadium.

The 31-year-old was visibly blurry-eyed as he was carted off the pitch on a stretcher and Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison was introduced in his replacement. As reported by The Athletic, Neymar is patiently awaiting on the test results in order to understand and decipher the extent of his current injury problem.

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“We did all the tests, and we will repeat them tomorrow. Those 24 hours are key to see how his knee will respond, how swollen it will be and what images will show,” Brazil’s team doctor said post-match. “Let’s wait for the exams with calmness, evaluate with calmness and tell you once we have a diagnosis.”

ACL injury concerns grow for Neymar after sports doctor’s comments

Sports Medicine Doctor Brian Sutterer MD has chimed in with his long-term expertise and has given Brazil and Al-Hilal fans alike the worst possible news, claiming that he could have torn his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).

In his YouTube video, Sutterer went into detail about how serious Neymar’s injury could be and the mechanics behind why an ACL injury may be the best explanation, though – as mentioned – the results have not been released.

“First of all, Neymar lands on a relatively flat foot on this left lower extremity [leg]. We can see also how his trunk a little bit over that injured side. As he lands, a little bit of knee flexion as here initially but a fairly straight leg. “We can see that the knee drops inward relative to the foot being pointed outwards. What this is going to do is cause this knee abduction moment where the distal tibia is abducting outward, the tibia is internally rotating a little bit relative to the femur. “And then as we follow this play through, ever so slightly, what we’re looking at right through here is going to be his tibial plateau, which is the top front part of the shinbone. In this position, it’s a little bit forward and if we advance a couple of frames, you can see how it almost pops backwards right as Neymar’s foot is coming off the turf. This is concerning for an ACL injury just given this mechanism.”

The experienced doctor goes into further depth of the function of the ACL in his YouTube video, which you can watch in full below.

Having just returned from a long-term injury sustained in March, Brazil’s World Cup hopes could be dampened if he has to spend an extensive period on the side lines due to his latest injury.

Neymar’s removal coincided with a 2-0 loss to Uruguay, thanks to goals from Liverpool ace Darwin Núñez and de la Cruz, meaning that the Selecao have dropped points for the second game on the trot after their 1-1 draw with Venezuela.

Currently sat in third spot, Fernando Diniz’s side are on track to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America but may have to play out their final qualifiers without Neymar.