Menezes Names Olympic Squad

Mano Menezes today unveiled the 18-man squad that he hopes will guide Brazil to a maiden Olympic title in London this summer. The core of the U20 World Cup-winning side remains in place, while the three players over the age of 23 are Thiago Silva, Marcelo and Hulk.

The full squad is as follows:

Rafael (Santos)
Neto (Fiorentina)

Rafael (Manchester United)
Danilo (Porto)
Alex Sandro (Porto)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Thiago Silva (Milan)
Bruno Uvini (São Paulo)
Juan (Internazionale)

Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Rômulo (Vasco da Gama)
Oscar (Internacional)
Paulo Henrique Ganso (Santos)
Lucas (São Paulo)

Neymar (Santos)
Leandro Damião (Internacional)
Hulk (Porto)
Alexandre Pato (Milan)

With major question marks over the ability of young centre-backs Bruno Uvini and Juan, Menezes had hoped to call on David Luiz to partner Thiago Silva. The Chelsea man has been carrying an injury since the end of the European season, however, so Hulk claimed the third overage spot.

Menezes will be confident that this group of players - who impressed in the recent friendlies against Denmark, USA, Mexico and Argentina - will be strong enough to compete in London. The squad certainly boasts plenty of talent and, in Thiago, Marcelo, Hulk and Pato, a wealth of experience as well.