MORRISTOWN, New Jersey, June 18 (Agencies): After returning to full team training, Neymar is now expected to be available for Brazil's second Group C match against Haiti on Friday in Philadelphia.
However, despite the encouraging progress, it remains uncertain how many minutes he could play or whether he would be included in the starting lineup.
Brazil face Haiti on Saturday (6:30 am as per BST) needing a World Cup reset rather than another misty-eyed reminder of their glittering past, after a disappointing Group C draw with Morocco left Carlo Ancelotti's side with bruises, questions and little room for another flop.
The five-times champions were rescued in their opener by a flash of brilliance from Vinicius Jr, who dragged Brazil level after Ismael Saibari gave Morocco an early lead in a first half that left them pinned back and short of ideas.
Now comes Haiti in Philadelphia, a match Brazil will be expected to win but one that arrives with thorns attached.
Haiti, among the tournament's major underdogs, began with a 1-0 defeat by Scotland, but Brazil's most awkward opponent may be their own uncertainty.
Neymar had already returned to the field on Wednesday for individual work before taking the next step in his recovery by training with the squad.
His teammates welcomed him back with applause and a playful initiation tunnel during the session.
Neymar, who has been out for a month with a right calf injury, trained in uniform and joined his Brazil teammates briefly for the first time during this World Cup at the club's practice Wednesday in Morristown, New Jersey.
He came out onto the pitch on Wednesday along with Raphinha, Bruno Guimarães, Gabriel Magalhães and Fabinho, and joked with members of the media, saying "Did you miss me?"
After some initial work with the team, Neymar moved back to the sidelines to continue with individual work alongside Brazil team coaches.
The 34-year-old star had trained alone on the sidelines on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in the United States.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward performed his first running drills and worked out with a member of Carlo Ancelotti's coaching staff on Tuesday, according to footage released by the CBF.
He was called up by Brazil for the tournament despite picking up a calf injury while playing for Santos on May 17, and had not returned to training since.
Five-time world champions Brazil, who drew 1-1 with Morocco on Saturday, play Haiti on Friday before meeting Scotland in their final Group C clash on Wednesday, June 24.
Sources said on Monday that Neymar -- still recovering from a Grade II muscle injury -- repeated the medical examination he underwent a week ago. The results had not yet been confirmed by the CBF.
Brazilian media said the team's medical staff were hoping to have him back fully fit for the knockout stages, meaning Neymar would miss both the Haiti and Scotland matches in Group C.
