As Robinho leaves Santos, what next for Neymar?

Last month Brazilian club Santos managed to persuade Brazilian starlet Neymar not to join Chelsea after stars such as Pele and Robinho urged the 18-year-old to stay in his homeland. It was a coup for the club and led to boasts that the age of South Americans heading to Europe had come to an end.

But that claim appears somewhat threadbare after Robinho - the man who helped persuade Neymar to stay in Brazil and who had pledged his loyalty to Santos - completed his switch to AC Milan from Manchester City. And that move begs the question, how long will Neymar stay with Santos before inevitably moving to Europe?

Robinho joined Manchester City for a British record fee of £32.5m from Real Madrid in the summer of 2008, in a dramatic fashion on the last day of the transfer window and on the first day of Sheikh Mansour's ownership of the club.

But despite the high hopes and razzmatazz that his arrival generated, he struggled to make an impact at Eastlands and was soon loaned back to his boyhood club Santos in January 2010.

"My goal is to stay for a long time," said the 26-year-old ace when he arrived back home. "If the president wants to extend my contract to four years that would be great."

But Santos were unable to make it happen. Once again it seems the lure of Europe was too tempting for him, and Manchester City could only find someone who could afford the transfer fee on this side of the Atlantic.

But if Robinho couldn't resist and the money wasn't available in Brazil, what hope is there for an impressionable teenager who nearly landed in the Premier League himself?

Santos cunningly offered to triple Neymar's wages and bring in public relations experts to turn him into a star as big as Christiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney, all in an effort to get him to stay, and it has worked, so far.

But there is no doubt that the Premier League is an attractive destination for foreign players. The competitions in which Neymar has shone - the Sao Paulo State Championship and the Brazilian Cup - are not top quality, whereas the Champions League and Premier League offer a tough challenge for a developing youngster.

Most Brazilians who have done well in Europe have had a spell with a smaller club before moving on to a giant, but it does not always work out. Neymar could have had little playing time if he had joined Chelsea, and struggled to adapt.

His decision to stay at Santos is a good move for now, however his agent, Wagner Ribeiro, admits that the player will likely be sold in two or three years time, which seems a realistic timescale and will surely aid his development as a player. ·