Neymar injury: Barcelona star has sprained ankle tendon

Neymar has been diagnosed with a sprained peroneal tendon in his right ankle, but he will be re-evaluated tomorrow. The Barcelona forward was injured in the 28th minute of Barcelona's Copa del Rey match against Getafe and left the match immediately. He could not put any weight on the ankle and some feared he had suffered a much more serious injury than the initial diagnosis.It is unlikely that Neymar has undergone a scan yet so the diagnosis is hardly concrete yet. Normally, players are given a night to rest so the swelling can go down before an MRI or any other scans are done. That is expected to happen tomorrow, which will allow the doctors to provide a better diagnosis and timeline for recovery.Barcelona did not give any indication when Neymar might return and there is no clear timeline for recovery based on the simple sprained tendon diagnosis given by the club. Sometimes, players can return in as soon as a week and other times it keeps players out for eight weeks.If Neymar's injury is a sprain that keeps him out eight weeks, it could put Barcelona's title chase in jeopardy. Lionel Messi is fit again and was fantastic against Getafe, but with Atletico Madrid in fine form and Real Madrid lurking, it will be tough for them to hold onto first place without Neymar. If the injury proves to be more serious, such as a torn tendon, Neymar's World Cup could also be thrown into flux, putting not just Barcelona in trouble, but Brazil as well.(sbnation.com)ANN.Az