Arrascaeta injury worries Jardim: “I don't want to be pessimistic, but…”

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·8. Juli 2026

Arrascaeta injury worries Jardim: “I don't want to be pessimistic, but…”

Flamengo won their second friendly match in Portugal

Flamengo beat Lausanne (SUI) 2-0 this Wednesday (08) in a friendly at Estádio do Algarve. Despite the win, coach Leonardo Jardim drew attention in the press conference to the need for an attacking midfielder to cover Arrascaeta’s absence, which is becoming a worrying situation.

See: – The biggest need right now, as I’ve already mentioned, is on the wings and in the attacking midfield role, where we have a fantastic player in Arrascaeta, but he hasn’t played for three months. Now the concern is how long the player will need to recover and get back to his level again,” the coach said, before adding:

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– With this current physical issue, it’s been three months without playing. I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I don’t know how long a player with these characteristics will need to get back to normal. Of course the midfielder is fundamental for us, but we have to find solutions, said the Rubro-Negro manager.

Why is Arrascaeta’s situation worrying?

The Rubro-Negro idol was close to regaining the form that made him King of the Americas in 2025. However, the player broke his collarbone, which could have kept him out of the World Cup. Even so, Uruguay called him up anyway.

Then, Flamengo accuses the Uruguayan national team of putting the midfielder through intense training while he was not up to speed, which caused the calf muscle injury. As a result, the player did not even get to play in the World Cup and returned still recovering.

What else did Leonardo Jardim talk about in the press conference?

It is important for players to make the most of their time and opportunities to show their abilities. For example, in a squad with as much quality as Flamengo’s, sometimes there isn’t much room for us to start giving young players chances, because the pressure is very high. Even today, the fans wanted Pedro to play, they wanted Arrascaeta to play. It was an idea I had, to put the youngsters on the field. I didn’t want anyone to come for this training camp period and then return to Brazil having done nothing. The two of them played and took their chances to score. There were others too who didn’t find the net, but showed their qualities.

Is Ayrton Lucas a concern?

As for Ayrton Lucas, I still haven’t received any information from the medical department. Regarding the players on international duty, I also don’t have any confirmation of when they will return. Until I receive the data from the fitness department, which is in contact with the medical staff, I won’t have any answers for you.

Is there extra motivation to face Benfica?

First of all, it’s a friendly match. Of course both teams will want to play well and get a good result, but we are not going to take risks that could injure our players ahead of the competitions we have at the end of the month, especially because we are short on numbers. As for the opponents, any rival motivates me. The day I lose that enthusiasm, I’ll go home and do something else.

What do you think of Jorge Jesus as coach of the Portuguese national team?

Jorge Jesus is a friend and, if that happens, I’ll be happy for him. I’m also happy about Portugal potentially having a Portuguese coach in charge again. A few years ago, I criticized the fact that a country like ours, which develops coaching projects and has professionals spread across every country in the world, chose to bet on a foreigner. I’m not speaking directly about Roberto Martínez, I was talking about a foreigner and his culture. If Portugal has a Portuguese manager again, that sets things right. I was with Jorge Jesus in Brazil maybe a month ago; we talked about a few things in private conversations, but nothing that should be revealed at this time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.