This is a fact, I'm worried about Neymar staying out of action for so long due to his injury and when he returns, he won't be able to play like he used to. But on the other hand, Ronaldo Phenomenon also got injured, everyone thought he would stop there, but he won the 2002 World Cup for Brazil.
I think those are two different cases. Ronaldo Nazario played in the 2002 World Cup when he was around 25 years old and he still had the physical fitness to be able to recover from injury. Ronaldo Phenomenon also has extraordinary skills in football that make him able to perform impressively even though he has just recovered from injury. Here Neymar is already 32 years old and this is the retirement age for a footballer. Neymar has experienced several serious injuries.
The problem is that this is not the first time Neymar has been injured and it is quite serious, he has had repeated injuries and that is what is worrying when he returns he will be different from before. There is indeed a record where he did not decline so much when he returned from injury, he only needed a while to find his game again. But still that does not guarantee that the same thing will happen to him after he returns from injury now.
I agree with you, that this is a different case, when the players you mentioned returned from injury at a fairly young age, so with a younger age they usually recover quickly and also quickly return to their best performance. But now Neymar is over 30 years old, that is an age that is considered quite old in football. Even some players who are not far from Neymar's age have now decided to retire.
Age does affect a player performance, especially since Neymar has a reputation for frequent injuries and has had to undergo surgery several times, to find his best game again certainly takes a little time. From his social media uploads, Neymar looks focused on undergoing physical training, and seems ready to make a comeback to play the new season with Al Hilal. The Saudi Pro League is not very competitive and also does not rely too much on physicality, unlike the top European leagues, so I think it will be easy for Neymar to find his best game again.
So far, Neymar has only played for Al Hilal a few times, and I think Neymar can be an important player next season. Indeed, without Neymar presence, Al Hilal was able to go undefeated throughout the season, most likely with the return of the Brazilian star Al Hilal can retain the trophy. Statistically, Neymar has only scored one goal and three assists in five matches for Al Hilal, we must admit that it is not at all comparable to the budget spent when recruiting him from PSG. It is possible that if injuries continue to haunt him, retirement is the path that Neymar is forced to choose.
I think Brazil's team management and coaches only worry about Neymar is that he can get injured at any time.
