Napoli’s season has reached another demanding turn, with the calendar tightening just as David Neres had begun to look like himself again. The Brazilian winger has suffered a fresh injury after the trip to Villarreal and will be unavailable for at least three weeks, leaving Massimiliano Allegri to reshape his side through a sequence of league and European commitments.
The coach and the club
Tests at the Pineta Grande Hospital revealed a low-grade injury to the semimembranosus muscle in Neres’ right thigh. He has already begun rehabilitation, but Napoli will not accelerate his return. The club hope he could be ready for Lazio on 8 November, although a more cautious timetable could push his comeback until the match against Torino on 21 November, following the international break.
Neres is certain to miss the next six fixtures. Napoli face Venezia on Saturday, then Bodø/Glimt in midweek, followed by Roma, Monza, Juventus and Porto, before the Lazio match brings another pause in the domestic programme.
The setback is particularly frustrating given the player’s recent path back into the side. Neres had only returned on 30 August, appearing late against Como at the Maradona after eight months out. His previous absence followed surgery on his left ankle in London, an operation that had affected the closing stretch of his last campaign.
Over the following two months he offered signs of his quality, including an important contribution in the Supercoppa. He used the recent international interval to improve his condition and made his first start of the season against Frosinone on Saturday, producing an encouraging performance built on pace and attacking initiative. Then came Tuesday’s problem against Villarreal, followed by the medical confirmation of another lay-off.
For Allegri, Neres becomes the fourth unavailable player at a point when options had started to broaden. Alisson returned to group training on Wednesday alongside Mathías Olivera and Frank Anguissa, but Neres now joins Vergara, Favasuli and Alessandro Buongiorno on the injury list. Vergara and Favasuli are expected back after the next international window, while Buongiorno faces a longer recovery that will last several more months.
A changing side for Venezia
Allegri is due to speak at midday before Napoli travel to the Penzo, where he is expected to make at least four changes from the Villarreal game. Rotation has become unavoidable with matches arriving every three days, and the coach must manage both energy and involvement across the squad.
Alex Meret is set to return in goal. Giovanni Di Lorenzo should move back to the right side of the defence, with Leonardo Spinazzola on the left, while Stanislav Lobotka is expected to resume his role at the base of midfield. In attack, Noa Lang could be given another opportunity after his second-half appearance against Villarreal made little impact.
The final training session will decide the remaining questions. Kevin De Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund are among those who may require rest, while Lorenzo Lucca is hoping for a starting place in the forward line. Luca Marianucci is also fit and waiting for a possible opening in defence.
The Venezia match carries added weight after the Champions League defeat in Spain. Napoli want to put Villarreal behind them and extend the domestic momentum created by the home win over Frosinone. They will have to do so, however, without a winger who had only just returned to the centre of Allegri’s plans.
