Fans poke fun at Neymar after photo appears to show him out of shape as he returns from injury to train for the first time since October... but others argue it's just an unflattering angle

Video shows Neymar back on a Al-Hilal training pitch following his ACL injury  Concerns raised over the condition of the Brazilian in an still from the footage  Watching training while injured in the gym is like seeing your missus walking down the street with another bloke - Listen to the It's All Kicking Off podcast

Neymar has made his first appearance on the training ground since his ACL injury but a photo doing the rounds on social media appear to show that he may not be in the best physical shape – thanks to an unflattering angle of the Brazilian.

The Al-Hilal star has been out of action since October after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay while on international duty.

Pictures emerged earlier this week showing the 32-year-old back in the gym and looking fit and in shape, as he looks to work his way back to full recovery. A video was also posted showing his first steps back on the training pitch.

However, the video has spilt fans as the lighting and angle of the clip makes it look like the forward has gained weight. Despite it being clear in gym pictures it isn’t the case.

Fans were quick to take to social media to question and mock the striker, with one suggesting ‘Neymar doesn’t look fit’, and another stating ‘retirement is calling’.

Video showing Neymar back in training has raised eyebrows over his his fitness and weight

The Brazilian had been seen back in the Al-Hilal gym as it he prepares to come back from injury

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Others online compared Neymar’s shape to that of fellow Ronaldo Nazario, who suffered criticisms over his weight during his playing days, by calling him ‘RONALDO 2.0’.

There were also claims of ‘Neymar doesn’t care about competitive football anymore’ and another who slammed his decision to move to Saudi by stating: ‘Neymar leaving Barcelona has to be the worst decision a player has ever taken in football history. It’s been a downward path since then. Now, he has added weight. Really sad!’

Yet, some on social media have come to the defence of Neymar, claiming the image is just an unfortunate angle, and urged to cut the striker some slack.

‘It’s not real, Neymar didn’t gain weight’, one post insisted, while others backed it up with the caption ‘fake’ and used the images of him in the gym as evidence to suggest there was nothing wrong with his fitness.

Fans took to social media to question the fitness of Neymar following his return to training

Neymar ruptured his ACL while on international duty for Brazil against Uruguay in October

Neymar moved to the Saudi Pro League club in August last year, after six seasons with Paris Saint-Germain in a £78million deal.

The two-year contract is said to be worth around £130million, making him one of the most expensive purchases in the Saudi League.

He mad his debut in as a substitute in the 6-1 thrashing of Al-Riyadh in September, coming off the bench to assist one of the goals, before scoring his first goal for the club in the AFC Champions Cup win over F.C. Nassaji Mazandaran.

However, the injury suffered whilst playing for Brazil has seen Neymar played just five games in total since the summer move.

Al-Hilal were forced deregister the Brazilian as a result of the season-ending injury so the could free up one of their eight foreign roster spots for the arrival of Renan Lodi in January.

Some fans were quick to quash the issue by showing a trim Neymar in the gym at Al-Hilal

Since joining the club Neymar has only played five games for Al-Hilal and scored just once

The club will be able to re-register Neymar at the end of the season when he is likely to return from injury, but will need to reassess his role in the team.

They already have a number of high-profile foreign names on their books including Ruben Neves and Aleksandar Mitrovic, so Neymar must prove he has a place in the squad ahead of next season.

His current deal with the club expires in June 2025, with the option of to extend for a further year, but has already been linked with a return to old club Santos when his experience in the Middle East is complete.