Author: Barkha Roy
Benfica striker David Neres has been called up to represent the Brazilian national team in the next two World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. The 26-year-old will come on in place of Raphinha, who has suffered an injury to the biceps femoris of his right thigh.
The announcement was made by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Monday. Last week, coach Fernando Diniz had already lost left-back Caio Henrique to injury, who was replaced by Guilherme Arana.
David Neres has received three previous call-ups to the senior national team, all under coach Tite, with his last appearance coming in September 2019. He was part of the squad that won the Copa America that year, making a total of seven appearances and scoring one goal for the national team.
This season, the Benfica striker has made eight appearances, scoring one goal and providing three assists.
The minimum recovery time expected for Raphinha’s injury is three weeks, which would prevent him from representing the national team. Barcelona hope to have their No. 11 back for the long-awaited clash with Real Madrid on October 28.
Raphinha was initially called up by Fernando Diniz as a replacement for the injured Vinicius Junior on the first list. In the second call-up, the Barcelona player was included from the start, but now he is set to be sidelined due to injury. The national team also recently had to make a substitution at left-back, with Caio Henrique suffering a knee injury and being replaced by Guilherme Arana.
The Brazilian team is scheduled to face Venezuela on October 12 at the Arena Pantanal, followed by a match against Uruguay in Montevideo on October 17. The players are expected to start reporting to Fernando Diniz’s team from October 7.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s Brazilian winger Antony is due to resume training after being questioned by Greater Manchester Police in relation to allegations of domestic abuse. The 23-year-old reportedly spoke to the police on Thursday and there were no immediate restrictions imposed on him after the interview.
Manchester United sources said that Antony had provided evidence to support his strong denial of the allegations. It is important to note that he has not been arrested or charged with any offense in Brazil or the UK.
It should be noted that Antony is not expected to take part in Friday’s training session and will not be considered for selection for Manchester United’s next Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on Saturday. However, this could mark his return to the Brazilian team, should he regain his fitness in the near future.
During a press conference on Friday, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that he had spoken to Antony, but emphasized that this conversation did not provide any information about the player’s current mental state. He also emphasized that Antony’s return would not be a distraction.
The star has been absent from four games since Manchester United granted him leave on full pay to deal with allegations made by three different women.
Here is the list of selected players:
- Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City) and Lucas Perri (Botafogo)
- Defenders: Danilo (Juventus), Vanderson (Monaco), Guilherme Arana (Atlético-MG), Renan Lodi (Olympique de Marseille), Bremer (Juventus), Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal) and Nino (Fluminense).
- Midfielders: André (Fluminense), Casemiro (Manchester United), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo) and Raphael Veiga (Palmeiras).
- Strikers: Neymar (Al-Hilal), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Richarlison (Tottenham), David Neres (Benfica) and Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton)