The gifted attacker's former boss has voiced his concerns with the Blaugrana's plans to improve his physique by placing him on a weight-gaining programme. Former Santos coach Muricy Ramalho has hit out at Barcelona over their plans for Neymar to gain weight to boost his physical prowess.

Barca doctor Ricard Pruna said earlier this summer that the 21-year-old must gain weight in order to reach his peak physical condition, after the Brazilian was diagnosed with anaemia following his €57 million switch to Camp Nou.

Ramalho, however, believes the Blaugrana are risking damaging Neymar's long-term effectiveness, claiming it could lead to a serious injury like that suffered by compatriot and former Barcelona star Ronaldo. "If Neymar puts on weight, they’re going to take away everything that’s best about him," Ramalho told Jovem Pam.

"They’re going to take away his speed. With small players such as Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and [Lionel] Messi at Barca, I never imagined that they would do this.  "If he puts on weight he could suffer a knee injury, like what happened to Ronaldo. It’s a dangerous business."
Neymar scored his first goal for Barcelona earlier this week in the 7-1 friendly win over Thailand.