Neymar is not ready for an imminent return for Al Hilal after spending almost 12 months out with a knee injury, the club's head coach, Jorge Jesus, has said.

The Brazil star joined the Saudi Pro League (SPL) side in August 2023 but played just five games before rupturing his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while on international duty last October.

Neymar, 32, had surgery and later returned to training in July. Speculation has since grown that he is close to a return, but manager Jesus dampened expectations in a post-match news conference.

"Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general," Jesus, who led Al Hilal to a 19th league title in May, said on Tuesday. "I can't, however, specify a date as to when he will return but we will look at the situation in January."

Neymar will be able to be registered by Al Hilal in January for the second half of the SPL season.

With SPL teams allowed to register a maximum of eight foreign players over the age of 21, Neymar's place in the roster for the first half of the league campaign was taken by Marcos Leonardo, signed from Benfica earlier in September.

However, upon his return to fitness, Neymar is eligible to appear in Al Hilal's ongoing AFC Champions League Elite campaign as the continental competition has no restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed.

His contract at the club is due to expire in August 2025.