Del Valle player tips Valencia to shine at Flamengo: “Fans will love him” | OneFootball

Anthony Valencia was recently signed by Flamengo

Flamengo’s second-to-last signing of the season, Anthony Valencia came through the youth ranks at Independiente del Valle (ECU), who were beaten 2-0 by Mengão on Thursday (10). The new Rubro-Negro signing played alongside Junior Sornoza, captain of the Quito team. The former Fluminense and Corinthians player was full of praise for his ex-teammate and assured that the youngster will succeed at the Most Beloved.

“A top player, young, very eager. I think he’s going to bring Flamengo’s fans a lot of joy, but they need to be a little patient so he can adapt well to Brazilian football,” said Sornoza in an interview with subscription channel ‘ESPN’.

In addition to spending his entire youth career at Independiente del Valle, Valencia played for the senior team in 2022 before being sold to Belgian football. That season, the attacking midfielder/winger shared the locker room with Sornoza, the current champion with Flamengo’s rival in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals.

Flamengo fans are eagerly waiting to see Valencia on the pitch. The Ecuadorian made his debut last Sunday (06) against Remo, but only for six minutes. However, the player barely touched the ball on the soaked Mangueirão pitch. In the match in Quito, he did not even come off the bench.

WILL HE PLAY?

Anthony Valencia hopes to get more minutes this Sunday (13) against Corinthians in the Brasileirão. Since Flamengo had an exhausting trip to Quito, Leonardo Jardim will field a very different team compared to the starting XI that beat Independiente del Valle.

For the match at the Maracanã, Valencia is competing for a spot with fellow Ecuadorian Gonzalo Plata and Luiz Araújo. Jorge Carrascal, who started the Libertadores clash, is expected to be rested. Still, if Anthony is not in the starting lineup, he should get some minutes during the match.

IN SHORT, THE AUTHOR’S OPINION

— Based on what people are saying about Valencia, he looks very promising. Coluna interviewed a journalist from Ecuador, and he said Anthony can play on the wing, as a No. 10, and has even played as a defensive midfielder for the national team. On top of that, in Belgium, he produced plenty of skillful moments. He seems like a very modern player —, began Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

— However, it will be very difficult for him to find space. In that same area, for example, there are Carrascal, Plata, Luiz Araújo… Paquetá can play there too. So I only see Valencia getting minutes in a game with a comfortable lead or if there is a run of injuries/suspensions in the squad —, he added.

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