Pato, Ganzo out for Brazil friendlies

Alexander Pato and unsettled midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganzo were the major names missing from Brazil coach Mano Menezes's 22-man squad to face South Africa and China next month.

After failing to win gold at the Olympics, Menezes is looking for the south American giants to get quickly back on track ahead of the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup and the 2014 Fifa World Cup™, both of which they are hosting.

AC Milan star Pato misses out with a muscle tear while Ganzo was not considered as he continues to ponder his club future with a move away from Santos widely expected. Brazil face South Africa in a friendly in Sao Paulo on 7 September and China in Recife, three days later.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jefferson (Botafogo), Diego Alves (Valencia/ESP), Cassio (Corinthians)

Defenders: Alex Sandro (Porto/POR), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Adriano (Barcelona/ESP), Thiago Silva (PSG/FRA), David Luiz (Chelsea/ENG), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Dede (Vasco)

Midfielders: Sandro (Tottenham, Inglaterra), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Romulo (Spartak Moscow/RUS), Ramires (Chelsea/ENG), Paulinho (Corinthians), Oscar (Chelsea/ENG), Arouca (Santos)

Attackers: Leandro Damiao (Internacional), Neymar (Santos), Jonas (Valencia/ESP), Hulk (Porto/POR)