Neymar on road to recovery from injury

Brazil's star man suffered a fractured vertebra in the host nation's quarter-final victory over Colombia, following a robust challenge from Juan Camilo Zuniga.

Neymar was duly unable to play a part in the semi-final against Germany, which saw Brazil subjected to an embarrassing 7-1 trouncing.

However, the 22-year-old expects to be back in action soon, having initially been expected to miss four to six weeks after suffering the injury on July 4.

Speaking at a sponsorship launch in Tokyo, Neymar said: "My injury is getting better. I am recovering from my back injury after that challenge I suffered.

"I am almost 100% to come back to training with my team-mates. We are looking forward to having a great season."

Neymar is keen to put his World Cup heartache behind him by helping Barcelona to glory in their first campaign under Luis Enrique.

He added: "I hope I can have a great season with my Barcelona team-mates. Hopefully we can win titles, that is what we are looking for and what we want.

"I will try to make Barcelona supporters happy, and also Brazil national team supporters as well."