Sporting key man to be managed carefully ahead of Benfica derby | OneFootball

Sporting remains confident that they will be able to count on the return of Pedro Gonçalves in time for the derby against Benfica, on December 5. The ‘number 8’ is expected to miss the matches until then, giving his place to Alisson Santos, but should recover in time to reinforce Rui Borges’ squad.

According to the newspaper Record, the green and whites believe that Pote will be able to overcome the microtear in his right thigh in time for the match. Nevertheless, the player is still expected to miss the games against Marinhense (Portuguese Cup), Club Brugge (Champions League), and even Estrela da Amadora (Liga Portugal Betclic), as the club does not want to take any risks.

For now, Pote remains under the care of Sporting’s medical department, but with positive prospects regarding his recovery. Initially, the expected recovery time for the player was between three to four weeks, but it could end up being significantly less.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese player has ended up being released from the National Team. Capped four times for Portugal, the Sporting player’s journey with the national team has been marked by successive injury episodes that have kept him out of call-ups.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Pedro Gonçalves – valued at 30 million euros – has already played 17 matches: 11 in Liga Portugal, four in the Champions League, one in the Portuguese Cup, and another in the Super Cup. During the 1,394 minutes he has played, the ‘number 8’ of the Lions has already scored nine goals and provided six assists.

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