Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar could miss the rest of the season once he undergoes surgery on a foot fracture.
“The (recovery) period will be around two-and-a-half to three months,” Rodrigo Lasmar, Brazil’s team doctor, said on Thursday, according to Agence France-Presse.
If the timetable is accurate, Neymar could expect a return to action in the second half of May. PSG’s last scheduled match is May 19.
The 26-year-old would then face a race to be fit in time for the start of Brazil’s World Cup campaign on June 17.
Earlier this week, Neymar’s father estimated that his son would need six-to-eight weeks to recover.
PSG, in conjunction with officials from the Brazilian national team, made the tough decision to proceed with the operation after exhausting all of their options.
“There was no doubt left regarding the treatment. We were unanimous in agreeing that it would have to be surgical treatment,” Lasmar added. “More conservative treatment, without surgery, would present a far greater risk for refracture. We can’t run that risk.”
Neymar suffered an ankle sprain and a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot toward the end of PSG’s 3-0 win over Marseille last weekend, prompting fears that he would miss the club’s do-or-die Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
PSG manager Unai Emery had retained some hope that he could count on Neymar for that crucial contest, but the Spaniard’s optimism has now been dashed.
Surgery will take place in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, under the supervision of Lasmar. Neymar was pictured in a wheelchair following the cross-Atlantic flight to his homeland.
“It’s clear there are goals to reach in terms of timing and we will do our best to meet the deadlines,” Lasmar said.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are saying goodbye to their starting running back from the past three seasons and are expecting to have franchise quarterback Andrew Luck back with the team when offseason workouts begin in the first week of April.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard met with Frank Gore and told the likely future Hall of Famer that they don’t plan to re-sign him.
“We had a discussion. We had it multiple times during the season. Frank knows we’re at the point where we need to get younger, and I want to give Frank a chance to see what’s out there and see if he finishes in a place he wants to finish it,” Ballard said. “He’s a first-ballot Hall of Fame player. He likes it when you’re honest with him.”
The Colts’ decision isn’t surprising. Gore will be 35 years old in May, and the Colts are in the process of making a youth movement with their roster.
Gore said at the end of last season that he planned to play a 14th season in the NFL while knowing there was a possibility that it wouldn’t be with the Colts.
He arrived with players like Andre Johnson, Todd Herremans and Trent Cole in the spring of 2015 with the thought they would be the final pieces for the Colts to make a run at the Super Bowl after they reached the AFC Championship Game the previous season.
Not only did Gore fail to reach the Super Bowl with the Colts, but he failed to make the playoffs with them in his three seasons. Gore and Luck, who was one of the main reasons the former 49er signed with Indianapolis, played just 22 games together because of injury problems to the quarterback.
The Colts didn’t have team success with Gore, but the running back had individual success. He rushed for 2,953 yards and 13 touchdowns while starting all 48 games during his three seasons. Gore became the Colts’ first running back to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season since 2007 when he tallied 1,025 yards in 2016. He is only 76 yards shy of passing Curtin Martin for fourth place on the NFL’s career rushing list.
“Hall of Fame back, passionate,” Ballard said. “In just three years, even though most of his career was in San Francisco, he left an impact on the locker room and people like I’ve never seen another player do.”
Ballard and new coach Frank Reich said they are working under the impression that Luck will be with the team when it starts its offseason workouts the week of April 2. Luck, who had right shoulder surgery in January 2017 and missed all of last season, still has not thrown a football, but Ballard hopes the quarterback will be throwing within the next couple of months.
“I think we’ll get there during April and May to where we’re all seeing the progress we want to see,” Ballard said. “Talking to him and talking to the doctors, we’ve all ruled out surgery. I think it’s at the point where we have to make sure. You have to remember that he played for two years banged up. Then he had this whole year off.
“Taking a year where you’re not every day working the motion, it takes time to get back. When is that point? I wish I could give you a date. There’s no drop-down date. Can’t do it. I know this, I believe in the kid. I believe in where he’s at mentally, and he’s going to do some really good things going forward. He’s in a good place.”
Luck’s only practice time since Week 17 of the 2016 season was on a limited basis in October before the team gave him a cortisone shot and shut him down due to soreness in the shoulder. He spent about six weeks in the Netherlands getting rehab on his shoulder and is currently in California working with throwing experts. Luck has used weight balls to work on regaining strength in his shoulder.
The Colts, despite Luck’s long layoff, continue to believe he will be back for the 2018 season.
“Do I have any doubt that he’s going to be ready? No, I don’t,” Ballard said.
Neymar is certain to miss next Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 second-leg clash with Real Madrid after Paris Saint-Germain confirmed the Brazilian attacker will have surgery.
The capital club released a statement Wednesday, announcing a decision has been made in conjunction with the Ligue 1 leader and the Brazil national team to operate on the 26-year-old in his homeland at the end of the week.
“After an initial treatment period of three days inline with a strict medical protocol, a joint decision has been taken between the medical staffs of both Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team,” the statement read.
“He will be operated on by Dr. Rodrigo Lasmar, accompanied by Professor Saillant, representing PSG.”
The club did not provide a timeline for Neymar’s recovery.
Neymar was injured during a weekend Le Classique victory over Marseille and was in noticeable pain as he was stretchered off the pitch. The blockbuster summer signing was diagnosed a sprained ankle and a fractured metatarsal.
The former Barcelona standout’s injury comes at a challenging time for PSG. Unai Emery’s lot are on the cusp of continental dismissal after losing the Champions League first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu 3-1, and face Marseille again Wednesday in the Coupe de France quarter-final.
INDIANAPOLIS — Randy Gregory is eligible to apply for reinstatement to the NFL, but the Dallas Cowboys are not planning to have their 2015 second-round pick in the fold in 2018.
“We assume worst-case on any situations, whether it’s the money or availability, especially if players are facing suspensions,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “Obviously last year when we knew (Ezekiel Elliott) faced a possible suspension we kept extra running backs, assuming worst case. So we have to move forward, assuming that Randy is not going to be here. If he is here, obviously it’s a big deal. First and foremost for him if he could get himself in a situation where he feels like he could actually play football.”
Gregory has played in two of the last 32 games for the Dallas Cowboys because of multiple suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse program, missing the entire 2017 season.
