Exclusive Glorioso 1904 – Benfica board still back their big-money signing | OneFootball

Franjo Ivanovic continues to earn the trust of Benfica's management. The Croatian forward joined the team during the summer transfer window, coming from Union St. Gilloise for around 23 million euros, but has struggled to secure a starting position.

Our newspaper reveals, in this Glorious 1904 Exclusive, that the technical staff at Benfica still believe in the potential of Franjo Ivanovic. At just 21 years old, he was seen as one of the most promising forwards in Europe, and at Luz, the consensus is that the player just needs to go through the adaptation period to Portuguese football to start playing at his full potential.

The player made a strong start at Benfica, scoring in his debut against Nice. However, he has yet to play a full 90 minutes in any of the nine matches he has participated in for Benfica this season. In terms of goals, he has not yet shown his best level, having celebrated only once since that goal against the French team.

The truth is that Bruno Lage's tactical choice did not seem to help Franjo Ivanovic, as the Croatian often played in support of Pavlidis, rather than in the striker position he knows best. The arrival of Sudakov also limited his opportunities, as he was even benched in the last match against Qarabag.

José Mourinho could, in this sense, give new life to Franjo Ivanovic, and it remains to be seen how the new Benfica coach will prefer to use the Croatian forward. What is certain is that within the club's management, there is no regret over the 23 million euros spent on the player during the transfer window this summer.

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