Brazil have included 39-year-old defender Daniel Alves but left out Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino in their 26-man World Cup squad which was named by coach Tite on Monday.

After leaving Barcelona at the end of last season, Alves went to Mexico to try to keep his dream of playing in his fourth World Cup with five-time champions Brazil.

But he played his last game for Pumas in September and sustained a knee injury that has been troubling him since.

Alves has been working on his recovery with the Barcelona academy medical and technical staff over the last few weeks.

“We have been following his recovery from up close and all the data that we have from Barcelona doctors show that he is fit to play,” Brazil team physician Fabio Mahseredjian told a news conference in Rio.

According to Tite, Alves’ long history with Brazil and leadership qualities in the changing room were valuable but not the main reason he got a spot in the squad.

“He adds technical and tactical aspects that are impressive, to be an organiser,” Tite said. “Sure he is not a 60 to 70 metres player anymore, but he has other virtues.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli is included among nine forwards in a list dominated by 12 players from England’s Premier League.

The emergence of a new generation of attacking players like Martinelli, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Raphinha, Gabriel and Pedro has resulted in Firmino, 31, failing to make the squad.