Neymar's injury woes continued on Wednesday when the Santos forward left the pitch in tears due to a left thigh problem in the first half of their 2-0 win over Atletico Mineiro in Brazil's Serie A.

The 33-year-old sustained a serious knee injury in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023 and has struggled to return to full fitness, though his recent form at Santos was rewarded with a call-up to the Brazil squad in March.

He had to pull out of that international squad due to a muscle injury and there was more misery when he limped off in the 34th minute clutching his left thigh on Wednesday.

"It's still too early to give any definitive answer, we don't have a diagnosis yet," Santos coach Cesar Sampaio told reporters. "It's a major loss in a match where everything we had planned was unfolding as expected.

"And that's it, now we really have to pray that it's not something that will keep him out for a long time."