Corinthians tie down injured under-20 striker to new deal | OneFootball

At the beginning of the afternoon this Friday (7), Corinthians registered in the Brazilian Football Confederation’s Daily Information Bulletin (BID) the contract renewal of 19-year-old forward Guilherme Drude (born in 2007), who is still recovering from surgery performed in May to remove an accessory navicular bone from his right foot.

The youngster chose to undergo the surgical procedure because he had been feeling recurring pain in the area. The renewal for another three months, that is, until November, corresponds exactly to the period Corinthians believes the player will be fully recovered. His contract expired last August 7, and, as established by the General Sports Law, clubs are required to provide support in cases like this until the player is fully fit to return to sporting activity.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Since the operation, the player has remained in recovery and is currently in the transition phase to on-field work. As he has not yet been medically cleared to return to matches, Corinthians chose to move forward with the contract extension to ensure that the entire rehabilitation process takes place at the club.

The additional three-month stay could also represent a new opportunity for João Drude to fight for space in the team coached by William Batista. If he manages to complete his recovery and return to action still this season, the forward will have the chance to show his potential and push for a longer renewal. Drude is still age-eligible to represent Corinthians’ youth teams until the end of the 2028 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior.

In the current season, in fact, he was included in Timãozinho’s squad for the Copinha, but he has not taken the field in the tournament or in the season so far. At the Under-20 level, he has 12 matches and one goal scored. Before the injury, Corinthians had not approached the player about extending his contract.

During this period, according to Meu Timão, foreign clubs began monitoring the youngster, who holds Italian citizenship and has as one of his main characteristics the ability to play in all three attacking positions, most often being used on the left side. Guilherme Drude initially arrived at Corinthians to join the Under-15 team and, in 2023, signed his first professional contract with the club.

Check below the player’s renewal as published in the BID:

Photo: Reproduction/BID

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