Neymar hits back at claims that he has become overweight since being out injured

Neymar is hit back at claims that he has become fat since suffering a serious injury.

During the summer transfer window, Neymar left French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain for the Saudi Professional League as he signed for Al Hilal.

However, after just five appearances, Neymar suffered a serious knee injury whilst on international duty with Brazil and is set to be out for the remainder of the season.

In recent weeks, pictures on social media appeared to show Neymar has gained some weight during his time out injured.

However, the 31-year-old has hit back with a video on his social media.

Neymar said: “Okay, overweight. But fat? I don't think so! Take it, haters! Give it up or run away!”

The Brazilian then lifted up his top to show his physique. You can watch the footage below.

🚨🇧🇷 Neymar responds to criticism and photos about being overweight… 🗣️

"Overweight, great. But, fat? I don't think so! Suck it, haters! Put up with it or freak out!" pic.twitter.com/ap6EIhgsM0

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 30, 2024

Last month, Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar spoke about Neymar’s recovery. He said to Rede 98, via The Mirror: “It's too early. There's no point in skipping steps to recover sooner and taking unnecessary risks.

“Our expectation is that he will be prepared to return at the start of the 2024 season in Europe, which is August.”

Lasmar continued: “We need to be patient. Talking about a return before nine months is premature, this is a global concept for knee ligament surgeries recovery. It is very important to respect the biological time, the time the body takes to reconstruct that ligament. If we follow those steps and after a long recovery, the expectation is that he can perform again at a high level.”

As a result of his injury, Neymar was reportedly removed from Al Hilal's squad so that the club could register new signing Renan Lodi, who joined the Saudi Arabian club from La Liga side Atletico Madrid.

Neymar's deal with Al Hilal is set to expire in 2025, but he has the option to extend it for one more year.