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Uruguay’s national football team has made an unusual decision ahead of the 2026 World Cup, opting to call in a physiotherapist instead of replacing an injured player.

As the tournament draws near, one of Uruguay’s key players, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, is still struggling with an injury. The 32-year-old midfielder sustained a muscle injury during a training session with La Celeste.

In response to this setback, head coach Marcelo Bielsa has taken an unexpected step before the World Cup begins. Rather than replacing his trusted midfielder, Bielsa decided to call in physiotherapist Laniyan Neves.

Neves is a physiotherapist for Flamengo, the Brazilian club where De Arrascaeta currently plays. According to reports from TyC Sports, De Arrascaeta has great trust in Neves, who has an impressive track record with Flamengo.

Because the former Defensor SC player has such confidence in him, the Uruguay national team decided to bring Neves onboard to monitor De Arrascaeta’s fitness throughout the 2026 World Cup. In addition to being De Arrascaeta’s trusted physiotherapist, Neves has previously worked with the national team, nicknamed Los Charruas.

Bielsa’s decision to call a physiotherapist instead of replacing the injured player is also tied to De Arrascaeta’s strong performance record. The former Cruzeiro star has been one of Bielsa’s key players since the coach took charge of Uruguay in 2023.

Records show that De Arrascaeta has featured in 17 out of 33 matches under the former Leeds United manager. Beyond being a crucial figure in midfield, the player born in Nuevo Berlin has also posted impressive statistics since 2025.

During the 2025 season, De Arrascaeta scored 23 goals and contributed 18 assists for Flamengo across 61 matches in all competitions. In the 2026 season, the 177 cm tall midfielder has already recorded 9 goals and 5 assists from 23 appearances for the same club.

Given these achievements, Bielsa chose to keep him in the squad despite his serious injury before the World Cup. In late April 2026, the player—who has earned 59 caps for Uruguay—suffered a broken collarbone. Although his injury was severe, Bielsa still insisted on including him in the roster, even though he had not fully recovered.

Despite this internal decision, Uruguay’s recent form has been far from ideal, as they have failed to win any of their last three friendly matches leading up to the World Cup. La Celeste suffered a heavy 1–5 defeat to the United States, followed by draws against England (1–1) and Algeria (0–0).