The young left-back missed the Seleção’s opening game against Egypt before starting the second match against Austria. However, he was withdrawn after only 13 minutes of play due to the recurrence of a thigh injury picked up while playing for Santos.
“Because treatment of this injury requires four to six weeks of rehabilitation, after a meeting with the technical committee we have decided that Alex Sandro can play no further part in the Under-20 World Cup,” said Brazil’s team doctor, Edilson Thiele.
Speaking to the official CBF website, Dr. Thiele added: “because he is such an important player for Ney Franco, we did everything we could to try to help him recover.”
The 20-year-old, who recently agreed to join FC Porto, will now return to Brazil for treatment with Santos, who are currently attempting to negotiate a deal with the Portuguese side that will allow him to play for Peixe until the end of the Brazilian season in December.
