THE FUSE

Speaking after his side's 2-0 defeat to Flamengo, Cuca detailed the intensive schedule Neymar is following. "He underwent a procedure on his knee during the [international] break, so he didn't train and spent four or five days recovering from that procedure," the manager explained, per ESPN. "He worked on some of the conditioning he needed to achieve. He'll recharge his energy to play the 13 consecutive games that remain until the next break. So we used this time, with the coaching staff and physiologists, to recharge his tank and get him going until the middle of the year."