Neymar set to make injury return for Al Hilal against Al Ain in AFC Champions League

Al Hilal have announced that Neymar will be part of the squad for Monday's AFC Champions League Elite game against holders Al Ain, ending a one-year injury absence for the Brazilian forward.

In a short video posted to their social media channels which contained special effects graphics combined with clips of Neymar training, the Saudi Pro League champions confirmed the return of the 32-year-old Brazil international.

"I'm ready," Neymar said in the video. "I know you're anxious, I am too, and on October 21, I'm back."

Should Neymar make an appearance against Al Ain at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Monday, it will mark his first competitive action in just over 12 months having sustained a cruciate ligament tear while representing Brazil on October 19, 2023. He will remain unavailable for Saudi Pro League selection, though, having been omitted from the squad until January.

This latest injury has been the most severe of Neymar's career but is by no means the first. Ankle injuries have been a persistent issue and he missed more than four months of Paris Saint-Germain's 2022/23 season after requiring ankle surgery.

Hilal made Neymar the most expensive player in Saudi football history by completing a €90 million deal to sign him from PSG in the summer of 2023. It was the headline signing of a remarkable and transformative transfer window that saw Pro League clubs spend a collective €1 billion to recruit some of the most high-profile players in world football.

Hilal's own transfer business that summer would have been the envy of many top European clubs; the Riyadh giants bolstered their squad with the arrivals of Serbian striker Aleksandr Mitrovic and his midfielder international teammate Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Brazilian winger Malcom, Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, Brazilian full-back Renan Lodi, Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, and Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

However, Neymar was limited to just five appearances – three in the SPL and two in the Champions League – scoring one goal and assisting three more before his ACL injury. The Brazilian's absence had little effect on Hilal's campaign though, as Jorge Jesus' side went unbeaten to clinch the league title by 14 points and secured the domestic double by winning the King's Cup.

Hilal have started the current season in similarly formidable form, winning all seven league games and both Champions League matches having earlier secured the Saudi Super Cup with a dominant victory in the final over Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr. Their squad has also been further enhanced with the signings of Portuguese full-back Joao Cancelo from Manchester City and Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo from Benfica.

Hilal, therefore, represent a mighty challenge to Al Ain, who defeated the Riyadh side in last season's semi-finals en route to the title but have started their title defence with a draw and a defeat in the new league format. Al Ain's domestic form has also been patchy, winning two of their opening four Adnoc Pro League games.

Instead of the previous groups of four with the top two advancing to the knockout stage, the new AFC Champions League Elite has adopted a similar group-stage league structure being used by the Uefa Champions League. Twelve teams from the West region and 12 from the East have been placed into separate leagues, with the top eight from each league progressing to the Round of 16.

Teams from the West and East can meet each other for the first time in the quarter-finals.