The immediate past coach of Real Madrid and Brazil's new coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has released his first squad for the Ecuador clash on June 5, and the club's talisman, Neymar, is missing from the list.

The Italian coach has recalled Manchester United's Casemiro, Richarlison and Real Betis' Antony, whose last appearances for the national team were in October 2023, after which they were omitted from subsequent call-ups.

However, the trio have been included for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay.

Neymar's snub from the squad has stirred mixed reactions; however, Ancelotti has clarified that Brazil's all-time leading scorer, Neymar, is currently not in good form.

He felt it was too early for the Santos forward to make an appearance at the national level, since his return from injury has been barely two months.

"I tried to select players who are in good shape," Ancelotti said on Monday. "Neymar had an injury recently. Everyone knows that Neymar is a very important player; he always has been and always will be," he said.

Neymar last played for Brazil on October 17, 2023, in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. Unfortunately, he suffered a serious ACL and meniscus injury during the match, which kept him out of action for over a year.

Brazil's clash with Ecuador is scheduled for June 5 before hosting Paraguay on June 10.

In response to questions about Man Utd's midfielder Casemiro's quality, the Italian manager lauded his former player for his "charisma, personality, and talent."

"In my opinion, he is a great player. I was lucky to be with him, I think the national team needs this type of player. Brazil has always had a lot of talent.

"In modern soccer, you have to add attitude, commitment, sacrifice, and Casemiro has that. And many of those who have been called up have that."

Meanwhile, Vinícius Júnior has been picked. And Carlo said this about him.

"It's hard to say, because Vini hasn't shown his best side yet," he said. "If that hasn't happened, it will, because he's an extraordinary player, hard-working and a fighter."

"The truth is that Brazilian players are very fond of their national team, and this may affect their natural thinking, in the sense that sometimes they feel a lot of pressure to perform well. This may prevent them from performing well. I am totally convinced that Vini will show his true colors with his national team."

Brazil has yet to qualify for next year's World Cup and is fourth in the South American group, having lost five of 14 games.

Brazil squad:Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al Nassr), Hugo Souza (Corinthians).

Defenders: Alexsandro (Flamengo), Alexsandro Ribeiro (Lille), Beraldo (PSG), Carlos Augusto (Inter Milan), Danilo (Flamengo), Léo Ortiz (Flamengo), Marquinhos (PSG), Vanderson (Monaco), Wesley (Flamengo).

Midfielders: Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Andrey Santos (Strasbourg), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Éderson (Atalanta), Gerson (Flamengo).

Forwards: Antony (Betis), Estêvão (Palmeiras), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid).