Brazilian superstar Neymar revealed Friday that he had suffered two major injuries last season with a previously undisclosed angle ligament strain accompanying the broken foot which badly affected his role at the World Cup.
The fragile Paris Saint Germain star picked up another foot injury in January this year which will sideline him until April.
Last year, the first injury kept him out of action for three months and he returned just in time for the World Cup in Russia, where Brazil was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Belgium.
“My injury before the World Cup was different, I also broke an ankle ligament and had a hard time getting better because of it,” Neymar told TV Globo in an excerpt from an interview to be broadcast in full on Sunday.
“The ankle is always annoying as it takes longer to get back to normal.”
According to the Globoesporte.com website, part of the same media group as TV Globo, the first examinations carried out after the injury of February 26, 2018 had already revealed the rupture of an ankle ligament.
He was then operated on March 3, in Brazil, by the doctor of the Brazilian national team.
After his latest injury suffered on January 23 this year, the medical chiefs favoured “conservative treatment” rather than another operation.
In another excerpt from the TV Globo interview, Neymar said he had “cried for two days” after his latest injury setback.
PSG hope to have him for a possible quarter-final Champions League in April which they are favourites to reach as they have a 2-0 first leg lead over Manchester United in their last-16 clash.