Neymar is not afraid as he fights to get back to full fitness ahead of the World Cup, according to Brazil teammate Fernandinho.

Sidelined since February after undergoing foot surgery, Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar is on the road to recovery as Brazil gear up for this month’s showpiece in Russia.

Fernandinho suffered a similar injury to Neymar previously and the Manchester City midfielder said the 26-year-old is on track for the World Cup, where Brazil will face Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia in Group E.

‘This kind of injury Neymar had is a little bit difficult, I can tell because I had it too,’ Fernandinho said. ‘It aches now and then… the bones… the process is a little bit complex.

‘But, when you watch the moves he’s making during training, the way he is training, I see him very well and he’s getting his confidence back, that’s so important.

‘He’s so audacious, trying to dribble the defences, he’s not afraid.

‘That’s the first step for him to be 100% confident again.

‘And we want him to be fully fit as soon as possible, till our first match in the World Cup. I have no doubt he’s a player who will make a big difference for our team,’ he concluded.

Before the World Cup gets under way, Brazil will face Croatia on Sunday and Austria on 10 June in a pair of warm-up matches.

-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za