Neymar to Be Selected for Brazil 2016 Olympic Squad, Raising Barcelona Fears

Alexandre Gallo, manager of Brazil's 2016 Olympic football team, has confirmed he will select Neymar as one of his over-age players.

Olympic squads are permitted to include a trio of players over the age of 23, meaning Neymar will be one of the more experienced stars when the tournament arrives in two years' time. Such news will be worrying for Barcelona, who will receive an unrested Neymar back at the Camp Nou once his duty is over.

"I will take three (over-age) players," Gallo told Sportv, reported by ESPN FC. "Or rather two. One will be Neymar. You can't think about Brazilian football without thinking of him."

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This is certainly true, particularly after the nation's recent hosting of the World Cup. The Brazilian public, and indeed Neymar, may feel a sense of injustice after the player broke his vertebra during the summer competition.

The Samba Boys were never destined to win the prize—highlighted by the humbling 7-1 defeat to Germany—but Neymar wasn't afforded the opportunity to challenge right until the last. There may be extra pressure for him to appear at the Brazilian-hosted Olympics because the public are vying for gold in the country's most popular sport.

Problems arise, however, when taking into account Neymar's other commitments. It would be a major call to leave him out of the 2016 Copa America, while it is irresponsible to play him in June 2016's centenary event when the Olympics begin in August. He will be coming into both on the back of a hectic club season with the Blaugrana, who will be expected to challenge across three fronts.

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Barca will also have the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez taking part in the Copa America. It is unclear whether Neymar will be selected for one or both of the international arrangements, but his pre-season preparation will be limited either way.

Olympic football is perhaps the least important of the sport's global tournaments, so it would make more sense for Neymar to appear in the earlier competition before heading back to Barcelona. He is obviously an important part of Gallo's plans and will be included to take on the "poster boy" mantle once more, but whether the engagement is the best use of his time remains to be seen.

Neymar's energetic attacking play and overall quality look to be improving in Spain. Eurosport highlighted his physical transformation "from boy to man in just over a year," but his mental toughness has also strengthened. These attributes will all be tested with such a busy run of matches.

The star's full range of skills can be seen below:

Neymar has scored 11 goals in as many appearances across La Liga and the Champions League this season, per WhoScored.com. In an ironic way, his injury at the World Cup allowed the player to rest away from the spotlight far more so than if Brazil had won the tournament. Barca look set to continue reaping the rewards.

Even so, the club will be concerned over the long-term fitness of a player who could potentially embark on a non-stop schedule between 2015-2017. Neymar should be expected to rank among the Catalan club's leaders by this point, much like he does for Brazil already, but risks a drop in quality if he aims to please all of those vying for his time.