Leonardo Jardim on Flamengo player's situation: 'He's playing hurt' | OneFootball

What did Flamengo coach Leonardo Jardim say about Saúl Ñíguez’s situation?

Coach Leonardo Jardim gave a press conference after Flamengo’s win over Estudiantes (ARG) in the Libertadores. In one of his remarks, the Portuguese manager spoke about Saúl Ñíguez’s situation. In his answer, the Flamengo coach said the Spanish midfielder is having trouble adapting and is playing through the pain.

— Saúl recently said he has difficulties and that he is playing through the pain. I congratulated him after the game against Athletico because he sacrificed himself. He is not used to this level of demand — he said, before concluding:

— Today (Wednesday) I had De la Cruz, who didn’t play on Sunday. Paquetá also came on well. We have to value it when players show the right attitude. I hope we can get Saúl back because he has been sacrificing himself for the team — Leonardo Jardim stressed this Wednesday (20).

HOW IS SAÚL ÑÍGUEZ’S SITUATION AT FLAMENGO?

Saúl joined Flamengo in the middle of last season and ended up playing in Mengão’s decisive matches in 2025 ‘at the limit.’ As soon as the schedule ended, the player underwent surgery on his left heel, which kept him out of the start of the 2026 preseason.

Given this situation, Saúl still has not managed to get used to the intense routine of Brazilian football. As a result, the club is handling the Spaniard’s situation carefully, trying to prevent the player from suffering other injuries.

WAS SAÚL ÑÍGUEZ AVAILABLE FOR FLAMENGO VS ESTUDIANTES IN THE LIBERTADORES?

In the match between Flamengo and Estudiantes, Saúl Ñíguez was available to Leonardo Jardim on the bench. Without featuring in the match, the midfielder watched Pedro score the winning goal for Mengão, which sealed the team’s place in the round of 16 of the Libertadores.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

With Saúl available, Flamengo return to the pitch this Saturday (23) to face Palmeiras in the Brasileirão. In short, the ball starts rolling at 9:00 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã. As usual, Coluna do Fla TV will cover all the details of the clash on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media.

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