Neymar is ready to make a return to training with Barcelona but health concerns loom for the Brazilian.
The 21-year-old was recently diagnosed with anemia after undergoing an operation for tonsillitis. However, he has told reporters that he is feeling better and ready to resume his usual routine.
"I am better," Neymar said. "The doctors are treating me but I already feel fine. I am ready to train."
"The iron level in Neymar's blood has dropped significantly," said the star's father, Neymar senior. "The physical tiredness he has had in recent weeks is not normal and that is very concerning. As he had almost no fat to lose, he lost muscle mass."
"You can have changes in the red blood cell level after a surgery like this," Brazil's national doctor Jose Luiz Runco said. "But with a good diet, in a few weeks, the situation is completely overcome."
ESPN reports that the club could still maintain concerns over the forward's form and shape.
"The attacker's weight will still be a certain concern to Barca's medical staff, who even before the recent issues was reckoned to be below his optimum playing weight and had reportedly been given a special diet to help him fill-out to prepare with the demands of top level European football," ESPN reported.
Back in June, Barcelona's doctor Richard Pruna stated that the forward needed to put on weight to be able to compete in Europe.
"My first impression is that Neymar needs to gain a pound or two. Our medical inspection was done quickly and his weight is just another data point," Pruna stated on the team's website. "We'll get to know the player over the course of the season and we'll constantly add to our data input. With this information we'll know what his ideal weight should be. The first impression is that he weighs 64.5 kilos and he has a tendency to lose weight. Perhaps he needs to add a kilo or two, but I can't say exactly how many."
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