Igor de Camargo warns Benfica player: you can't just play on the ball | OneFootball

Dodi Lukebakio has had a turbulent few days at Benfica, after a heated exchange with José Mourinho when he was substituted in the match against Moreirense. Igor de Camargo, a former Belgium international, stresses that the Benfica winger has quality but warns that a player “must also make a difference without the ball”.

“I’m sure Mourinho will know how to handle this situation, especially since he is a very experienced and highly competent coach. I don’t know what Lukebakio wants for the future, but I believe he knows he is at a great team,” he began by telling newspaper A Bola.

While listing the qualities of Benfica’s number 11, De Camargo highlighted the winger’s “very strong attacking threat,” but admitted the importance of defensive contribution. “When a team defends, everyone has to defend. You can’t only play when you have the ball, you also have to make a difference without it. I believe Mourinho will ask that of Lukebakio,” he reiterated.

In conclusion, the now Genk B team coach admitted that Lukebakio is a “strong candidate” to be included in Rudi García’s squad. The Eagles winger scored three goals in the two friendly matches played by Belgium in March. “He plays for a big team, he has good numbers for the national team, the coach likes him a lot. It’s a matter of putting in good performances before the squad is announced,” he pointed out.

This season, playing for Benfica, Dodi Lukebakio — valued at 20 million euros — has already made a total of 21 official appearances: 15 in Liga Portugal Betclic, four in the Champions League, one in the Portuguese Cup and one in the League Cup.

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