5 August 2013
Barcelona have confirmed that new signing Neymar has developed anaemia but say that they are not worried by the forward's condition.
The Brazilian, who joined Barcelona from Santos for €57 million in May, was diagnosed with a low red blood cell count following a recent operation on his tonsils.
But Barcelona's director of football, Andoni Zubizarreta, has insisted that the 21-year-old's condition is something the club will manage and is not overly serious.
"We would have liked him to have been in perfect conditions, but not many players arrive perfect for the pre-season," Zubizarreta said.
"We'll help make sure he's in the right condition. It's not a concern.
"There are quite a few days left before the league starts, although it is unlikely that he'll be 100 per cent adapted (to Barcelona's style) by then.
"But we can clearly see that he's quickly getting a grasp of our type of football."
Neymar made his Barcelona debut in a 2-2 friendly draw against Lechia Gdansk on Tuesday before appearing off the bench in an 8-0 win over Santos on Friday.
Barcelona begin the defence of their Spanish top flight title with a home fixture against Levante on October 18.