Stepanenko says Benfica a big step, star's exit on the cards | OneFootball

Taras Stepanenko believes that Georgiy Sudakov will leave Benfica for "a bigger club." The midfielder shared the locker room with the creative player—who recently experienced a family tragedy—at Shakhtar and had high praise for the player.

“He is full of quality, likes to work, and also knows how to impress. He will look to reach an even higher level with the opportunity to play for Benfica, to play in the Portuguese League and the Champions League. He can grow and achieve great results,” the midfielder told the newspaper O Jogo.

Stepanenko does not hide his admiration for Sudakov, guaranteeing that his former teammate “has a great attitude towards training, the game, and knows how to impose his qualities and abilities. He will adapt and respect the demands of Benfica. His game intelligence is very good, in what he builds, in the way he receives with his back to goal and returns the ball. Strong in transitions, he can help create superiority in the second phase of build-up. Tactically, he is very good, I think he grew a lot with [coach] De Zerbi, just like Mudryk. He knows modern football and its requirements, so he will be an excellent addition.”

Although he has just arrived at Luz this transfer window, Sudakov is already being linked with bigger moves: “I see Benfica as a big step, he will gain new objectives and new ambitions. He could still be sold to a bigger club. Everything is set for things to go well. He has the qualities of a number 8, but also a number 10. He is very good at building play and dribbling in one-on-one situations, and he also knows how to move the ball to other areas of the pitch. He has a good shot and a good pass.”

“I sense that he will fit in very well, my experience with Paulo Fonseca and Luís Castro tells me this will be a good league to help him improve some things. They should be patient with him, because he will be adapting to a new language and culture and getting to know the country. He just needs some time, because he is hardworking and has great personality and character. He is shy, doesn’t talk much, but he has the right mindset to play football,” Stepanenko concluded.

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