Paris Saint-Germain will be without star forward Neymar for the remainder of the season after it was announced the Brazilian will have to undergo surgery on his ankle injury.
Neymar was stretchered off on February 19 during PSG’s 4-3 victory over Lille after rolling his right ankle, the same injury that forced him to miss some of Brazil’s World Cup campaign.
“Neymar Jr has sustained a number of instances of instability in his right ankle in recent years,” PSG said in a statement.
“The Paris Saint-Germain medical staff recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence. All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity.”
PSG says it will be three to four months of recovery before Neymar can rejoin team training.
The 31-year-old has suffered a number of right ankle or foot injuries in the past, which forced him to miss six weeks of action in 2021 and Brazil’s victorious 2019 Copa América campaign.
PSG faces an uphill task to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Wednesday when it travels to Bayern Munich to try and overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit.
The team has already been knocked out of the French Cup, but has opened up an eight-point lead over Marseille at the top of Ligue 1 as it bids to win an 11th French title.
Neymar has been in fine form for PSG this season, scoring 18 goals and recording 17 assists in just 29 games in all competitions.