Al-Hilal are reportedly planning to write off Neymar for the season following a knee injury, as the Saudi Pro League club have their sights set on other European stars in January.
The striker suffered a serious knee injury during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay and required surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus last Thursday. Neymar is expected to be unavailable at least until the end of the season and, according to a Saudi media outlet, Arriyadiyah Al-Hilal is considering delisting him from the SPL for the current season in order to make room for a foreign player.
The move is in line with SPL regulations, which limit the number of non-Saudi players per team to eight. The seven foreign players, with the exception of Neymar, are Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Kalidou Koulibaly, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksandar Mitrovic and the two Brazilians Malcolm and Michael.
Additionally, Al-Hilal manager Jorge Jesus wants to strengthen the team with a foreign left-back and so the decision has been made. However, he will be welcomed back once he has regained his fitness for the 2024-25 season.
Neymar’s injury problems added to mixed performances in the Middle East, with just one goal in five matches. Nonetheless, Al-Hilal are top of the SPL and will resume competition on Friday against fourth-placed Al-Taawon.
