Neymar passes Barcelona medical

Barcelona forward Neymar has passed a medical and could be ready for the start of the La Liga season.

The Brazil international sustained a fractured vertebra in his country’s quarter-final win over Colombia after a robust challenge from Juan Camilo Zuniga.

With initial projections suggesting Neymar could miss up to six weeks of action, the 22-year-old was considered a doubt for Barcelona’s La Liga opener against Elche on August 23.

However, the club confirmed on Wednesday that Neymar, along with three team-mates who appeared in theWorld Cup, had passed his medical and would now face “intense training”.

A statement from the Catalan giants read: “The four World Cup semi-finalists, Leo Messi, Javier Mascherano, Dani Alves and Neymar, who trained with their colleagues on Tuesday, returned to the club for their medical tests.

“They all passed with flying colours and are now set for three weeks of intense training in the build-up to the start of official matches in three weeks’ time.”

Defender Adriano (abnormal heart rate) is continuing his recovery, while midfielder Xavi and new signing Jeremy Mathieu went through seperate training exercises.