Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti brushed aside fans’ chants for Neymar after his side’s 2-1 defeat to France in a warm-up match in Boston on Thursday, stressing that attention should remain on the players who were available and involved.

Neymar was omitted from the squad after the 34-year-old missed a recent Santos FC match due to muscle fatigue. Ancelotti had been expected to attend that game as part of his evaluation ahead of finalising his selection.

“Right now we have to talk about those who are here, who played, who gave everything, who showed character, and who worked very hard. And I am satisfied,” Ancelotti told reporters.

He also singled out individual performances, praising Raphinha for his attacking contribution despite being substituted due to muscle discomfort late in the first half.

“I think Raphinha played very well. He had some muscle discomfort at the end of the first half and we had to take him off, but he had many chances and good movement off the ball,” he said.

Ancelotti added that Vinicius Jr. continued to make an impact with his work rate and creativity.

“Vini always tries; he always makes the difference. A striker cannot always score, but the work done by both of them was good,” he noted.

Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, has not featured for the national team since sustaining a serious knee injury in October 2023. Since returning to Santos last year, he has struggled to maintain a consistent run of matches.

Ancelotti has repeatedly stated that the forward will be considered for selection if he is fully fit. Despite Neymar’s absence and the defeat to France, the Italian coach said the performance gave him confidence in the squad’s overall potential.

“I think today’s game made it very clear to me that we can compete with the best teams in the world. I have no doubt about that,” Ancelotti said.

Brazil will next face Croatia on March 31 in Orlando as part of their preparations ahead of the World Cup in North America, scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19.