Who will replace Neymar at the Copa America?

According to 'Fox Sports Brazil', up to five names have a chance of being called up by Tite after Neymar's injury. The coach cannot take too long to decide because the tournament begins on 14th June with Brazil versus Bolivia. 

The first player who comes into your mind, at least for Spanish football fans, is Vinicius. His absence was one of the big stories when the 23 man Copa America squad was released. 

Tito praised the Real Madrid player on various occasions, who he even called up to play for the senior team on one occasion. An injury, however, prevented him from making his debut. Precisely, that is the main disadvantage that Vinicius has. He has still not played for the senior side. Despite that, the great signs he has shown since he started playing for the Real Madrid first team give him hope of being selected. In 31 games (20 starts), he scored four times and gave eight assists. 

Lucas Moura is another player named by 'Fox Brazil'. And him appearing in the list is mainly if not solely due to that hat-trick for Spurs against Ajax which took them to the Champions League final. Even if he had not got that hat-trick, his stats are still good anyway. He netted 15 times in 49 appearances this term as well as giving one assist. 

Willian is also hoping to receive the call from the Brazil coach. An important part of Chelsea's team, this year his numbers have not been as good as previous ones and he scored just eight times in 55 matches. Although the number of assists he has given has increased (13). At 30 years old, he seems to have lost the great form which put him on the agenda of top European clubs a couple of seasons ago. 

Douglas Costa is also as option to fill in for Neymar. In his second yeat at Juventus, he has hardly had game time because of various injuries which sidelined him for one month at the end of 2018 and again since February. As a result, he seems the least likely option. He only started in 10 of the 25 games he played and scored just the once. 

The last option is Dudu. The Palmeiras player had a great season and was key for the team. In 28 matches (just one as a subsitute), he scored four goals and had 10 assists to his name. At 27, he has been in Brazil for five and a half seasons since returning from Ukraine. He is the only one of the candidates not to play in Europe. 

All of those which are called up must be able to play on both wings and behind the front man. Only Vinicius could also play more as a specialist striker if the needed that. 

 

June 6, 2019