Neymar gets much-needed support from the new Santos manager, Cleber Xavier, amid injury struggles.
According to Sentinelassam, New Santos manager, in his first press conference after officially replacing Pedro Caixinha, said that the Brazilian footballer will have a free-roaming role in his leadership and called him “the greatest player of the last few years.”
He also revealed that Neymar, who rejoined his boyhood club Al-Hilal in January 2025 after his long injury, would unlikely return to the left wing, the position in which he rose to prominence at Barcelona.
Xavier said, “He played on that side [the left] at Barcelona and with the national team, but now he is more suited to an attacking midfielder role.”
Not a ‘problem’ but a ‘solution’
Xavier, an assistant coach for Brazil's national team from 2016 to 2022, showed confidence that Neymar will soon overcome his physical problems.
He asserted, “Neymar returned to the club he loves. He is happy to be here, and his teammates are happy to be with him. We worked together for six and a half years. He is an idol – one of the greatest players of the last few years.”
“People ask me if Neymar is a problem. Never, not once. He has always been a solution, on and off the field. The first player I met with was him. He said, He is happy to be with me, and I am too," he added.
Santos is currently 19th in the 20-team Brazilian Serie A standings with just one win from six matches so far. Xavier's first match in charge will be an away clash against Gremio on Sunday, May 4, 2025.
