André Martins: Sporting star unlikely to play for national team | OneFootball

André Martins commented on the limited use of Pote in the service of the National Team. In an exclusive interview for our Journal, the former Sporting player believes that Pedro Gonçalves did not participate in Portugal's 3-0 victory over Hungary due to the characteristics of the game. Nevertheless, he considers that Rui Borges' protégé will have few opportunities with Roberto Martínez in the future.

“I think this is a delicate issue because the National Team has players of great quality. We look at the lineup and see that even João Félix was not a starter. I find it even stranger that Gonçalo Inácio was not used in the game, or a central defender, and Ruben Neves was used instead,” he begins by saying.

Next, André Martins reveals that Pote is aware of the role he plays in Roberto Martínez's choices: “Pedro Gonçalves knows perfectly well the role he has in the National Team. We know that he probably won't be a starting player, but for games with different characteristics, which was not the case against Hungary. That's why Trincão was brought in and not Pedro Gonçalves.”

André Martins understands that the game 'did not call for' the entry of the 'number 8' of the lions: “I think the characteristics were not particularly suitable for Pote's style of play. Now, he knows that being well at Sporting, he is a player I believe will always be among the selected players. But he will probably be used sparingly, as was the case against Hungary,” added the former player trained in Alcochete.

In conclusion, André Martins tries to explain the main reason for Pote's limited use in the National Team, which is due to the level of the players called up: “There is only one reason, it's that Portugal indeed has players of great quality and many players. Therefore, he has to be well at the Club and wait for his opportunity so that, when he plays for the National Team, he tries to show Roberto Martínez that he deserves more minutes,” he concludes.

Watch some highlights of Pote:

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