How bad is the Neymar injury? Brazilian star stretchered off

Neymar Jr was stretchered off the pitch after picking up what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

The 31-year-old forward tripped in an innocuous-looking incident in Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, which Brazil went on to lose 2-0. Neymar went down shortly before halftime and was immediately surrounded by teammates.

He left the field on a stretcher, in tears. Richarlison came on to replace the man who he has described as his hero.

Given his age and fitness problems, this latest issue could pose a real threat to the Brazilian’s ability to play at the highest level. The team’s medical staff have not yet released any information on the extent of the injury.

What is Neymar’s injury?

It’s difficult to access the extent of Neymar’s issue before an official statement is released, but the early signs do not look good for the former Paris Saint-Germain forward.

Neymar went down after a slight collision with a Uruguayan player and immediately called for medical assistance. Knee injuries of that severity are often related to the anterior cruciate ligament, also known as the ‘ACL’.

They are notoriously hard to predict but ACL injuries are among the most serious that a soccer player can sustain. For Neymar, a player who relies on his ability to quickly change direction, a serious ACL injury would be a major blow.

More on this breaking news story as it develops...