José Manuel Freitas blasts Benfica's No. 20: never got his role | OneFootball

is getting closer and closer to leaving Benfica in this transfer window. The Colombian midfielder has been unable to secure a place in Marco Silva’s starting eleven and has seen limited playing time, a situation that could speed up his departure from the Luz.

For José Manuel Freitas, one of the reasons behind the player’s struggles is the lack of clarity over the best position in which to use him and, above all, the difference between his characteristics and the football Benfica want to play.

"I watched many Palmeiras matches before Richard Ríos came to Benfica, and he had a key role in Abel Ferreira’s team, everything went through him. And from what I’ve seen of Richard Ríos at Benfica, I never really understood what his best position was. Maybe as a right-sided central midfielder," the commentator said.

In José Manuel Freitas’ view, Ríos has also failed to keep up with the tempo Marco Silva wants to impose on the Eagles: "In the other positions he played, and towards the end he even played very narrowly in this role, I think he struggles to keep up with the speed Benfica want to give to their game," he explained.

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