Ayrton Lucas praises Flamengo form, demands focus to season's end | OneFootball

Full-back took advantage of Alex Sandro’s injury to become a starter at Flamengo

Ayrton Lucas is going through a period of growth at Flamengo and celebrated his good personal form. The left-back is currently recovering from a muscle injury, but his strong performances before the physical issue earned praise from the player himself.

“I’m happy like this because I think it’s what every player looks for: to have confidence, to be playing well. I had a very poor start, but I managed to turn things around. So I’m happy to be helping my teammates, not only offensively, but defensively as well, and that’s important for the group,” said Ayrton Lucas in an interview with FlamengoTV.

WHAT OPENED THE DOOR FOR AYRTON LUCAS?

An injury to Alex Sandro’s right calf opened the door for Ayrton Lucas to get a run of games under coach Leonardo Jardim. As a result, the full-back claimed a starting spot and has four assists in 32 matches this season, 26 of them as a starter.

HOW DOES AYRTON LUCAS ASSESS FLAMENGO’S CURRENT MOMENT?

In addition to celebrating his own form, Ayrton Lucas also praised Flamengo’s overall moment. Leaders of the Brasileirão, the Rio club have also secured a place in the Libertadores semifinals. In other words, they are still alive in the fight for more titles.

However, the left-back stressed the need to stay focused in the final stretch of the season. It is worth remembering that Rubro-Negro will face the traditional Estudiantes (ARG) in the Libertadores semifinals. In addition, they are battling Palmeiras point for point in the Brasileirão. In short, every victory counts toward a “happy ending” in 2026.

“And speaking about the team as well, we’re in a very good moment. We put together a really good run of wins and secured qualification, when (the team) became the leader of the Brasileiro. So we need to stay focused until the end to achieve our goals,” said Ayrton Lucas.

INJURY RECOVERY

The left-back got injured in the 2-1 win over Red Bull Bragantino on September 20. On that occasion, he felt pain while making a sprint and had to leave the pitch early in the first half. Afterwards, the No. 6 was diagnosed with a grade 2 muscle injury in the back of his right thigh.

According to reporting by Coluna do Fla, Ayrton Lucas has improved in recent days and is already doing work on the field without feeling pain. The club is cautiously evaluating the next steps to determine the exact date of his official return to the pitch.

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