Neymar dropped by Brazil over behaviour

Neymar came close to joining Chelsea (EPA)

Santos teenager Neymar, who made an exciting Brazil debut last month, has been dropped from October friendlies as a disciplinary measure, coach Mano Menezes said today.

The gifted but hot-headed 18-year-old ran into trouble with Santos coach Dorival Junior over acts of indiscipline last week that Menezes was also unhappy about. Dorival lost his job over a suspension he imposed on the player.

"I think it's essential to make our line quite clear in how we think of conducting our work (with the national team)," Menezes said after naming his squad.

"We always say what a player brings to the national team is what he produces on the pitch," he told a news conference.

Menezes added that Neymar's return to the Brazil squad depended entirely on the player who scored on his debut in a 2-0 away win over the United States last month.