Brazilian star Neymar, currently injured, will have to wait until November to return to play with his team Santos, according to club president Marcelo Teixeira on Sunday.

According to the club’s medical staff estimates, Neymar will be able to return to “help the team” starting in November, as stated by Teixeira, meaning he will join Santos in the final stages of the local league which ends on December 6th and 7th. The team is fighting to stay in the top division and avoid relegation.

The rehabilitation process for the 33-year-old, who suffered a thigh injury during training in mid-September, is expected to take six weeks according to the medical staff.

Since returning to his original club Santos at the beginning of this year after an unsuccessful stint in the Saudi league, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has suffered several injuries that prevented him from playing regularly. He has played only 21 matches in total, scoring six goals.

Frequent injuries that significantly affected his career with Saudi club Al Hilal also caused Neymar to miss the national team for nearly two years, specifically since October 2023 when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a match against Uruguay (0-2) in Montevideo.

Neymar sustained this injury two months before arriving in Saudi Arabia to sign with Al Hilal, which kept him off the field for a year. He played only seven matches with his new team, scoring one goal and providing three assists.

After drawing 2-2 with Bragantino on Sunday, Santos raised its points tally to 27, just five points above the relegation zone.