Gabriel Índio only just arrived, yet is tipped to leave Benfica | OneFootball

Gabriel Índio began his Benfica adventure with the B team. The Benfica officials have already defined the plan for the young Brazilian, who is initially expected to join the Eagles’ secondary side before gradually becoming part of the first team. However, Pedro Duarte, Athletic’s general director, foresees a quick rise and believes the young defender will not stay at the Club for long.

"We cannot forget that he is a player who turned 18 just a few days ago, and is still of an age to play for the under-19s for a year, then the under-23s and the B team. We cannot put that pressure on him to already be a key player. If they do that, it may come to nothing. It is necessary to give him time and space to develop. But I have no doubt that he is a player who will not stay at Benfica for very long", he said in an interview with O JOGO.

Regarding the transfer, the official praised the role of Mário Branco in handling the process that secured the signing of the Brazilian defender. "Mário Branco’s work on this player Benfica signed deserves to be recognized. It was public knowledge that there was interest from an Italian club, Napoli, but Mário Branco did a great job, a very good job, in this operation, which allowed Benfica to move ahead in the signing and take the risk of signing a boy born in 2008," he said.

Even considering the player’s young age, Pedro Duarte argues that the young centre-back has the necessary qualities to work directly under the command of Benfica’s first team. "Starting in the under-23s or the B team? That makes no sense. What makes sense is for him to work with the first team. If he is the fourth centre-back and not playing regularly, that may require him to play for the B team to gain more rhythm and experience. But I believe he is more than ready," he maintained.

To conclude, the director explained Gabriel Índio’s technical characteristics and pointed out the tactical aspects that still need development in European football. "In the training done in Brazil, centre-backs are very focused on man-to-man marking, on duels. Today, Gabriel Índio is already a player who wins his duels, besides being very strong in anticipation and in the air. Now, he will still need to do some work to better understand the game in a broader sense, although I believe he is more than ready for Benfica’s first team", he concluded.

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