Rio de Janeiro, April 19 : Santos forward Neymar has been diagnosed with a new leg muscle injury, the club confirmed Friday, marking the latest setback in his protracted struggle to regain full fitness.

The 33-year-old was forced off in the 34th minute of Santos' 2-0 victory over Atletico Mineiro on Wednesday and subsequent tests identified damage to the semimembranosus, one of the hamstring muscles, reports Xinhua.

"It's still too early to give any definitive answer, we don't have a diagnosis yet," said Santos coach Cesar Sampaio. "Now we really have to pray that it's not something that will keep him out for a long time."

In a statement on its official website, Santos said the latest injury was not a reoccurrence of a previous problem.

"The number 10 has already started treatment and ... will continue muscle strengthening work," Santos said, without providing an estimated timeframe for his recovery.

Neymar has struggled with a series of soft-tissue injuries since returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament last October following a year on the sidelines.

A brief return to form earned the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star a call-up to the national team for World Cup qualifiers in March but he was later withdrawn due to another muscle injury. The 33-year-old, who has not played for Brazil since October 2023 because of a knee injury, was replaced by teenage Real Madrid forward Endrick.

"He will be reevaluated periodically for monitoring and new treatment definitions," Santos said in the statement. "It was known that these complications could occur, due to the time of inactivity."

Neymar has made eight appearances for Santos and scored three goals since returning to the club from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

/IANS