Luan back to square one under Dorival, finally set to leave São Paulo | OneFootball

Without Roger Machado, dismissed in May after the elimination in the Copa do Brasil, defensive midfielder Luan’s situation has become uncertain again.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, Roger was one of the biggest advocates for the board to sit down and start discussions to renew the contract of the Cotia academy product, 27, whose deal runs until the end of the year.

The problem for Luan is that the former coach was sacked and Dorival Júnior took over. It’s not that the current manager has any issue with the player. Far from it. But the midfielder does not have his full trust. And there are signs of that…

In Dorival’s last spell, which ended with the 2023 Copa do Brasil title, Luan had been sidelined by predecessor Rogério Ceni. The impression was that he would revive his career, since he appeared in the starting lineup in the coach’s debut match, on April 22 of that year, in the 3-0 win over América-MG. But he was soon pushed aside again. To the point that in the final stretch of the campaign in Brazil’s main knockout competition, Alisson, then a winger, was deployed in midfield after Pablo Maia was absent due to his father’s passing.

That season, Luan even reappeared in the team in the knockout matches against LDU in the Copa Sudamericana. He was praised, but he apparently did not fully convince Dorival after the elimination on penalties against the Ecuadorians. And his physical condition was the reason given.

“These are situations involving marking and recovery, so he spoke a lot, gave feedback, which is very important for us. And I told him: ‘Coach, I agree and I’m going to work on that.’ So training ends, and I, just like Mendéz, do extra work with the fitness coach so it can happen like today. If needed, to be ready,” Dorival said at the time.

“As for my fitness, I’m doing well, I’ve been working very hard. Even if I don’t post it on social media, I’m working at the training ground, outside the training ground, always aligned with São Paulo’s staff. People will always talk and I don’t pay attention to it. Day by day I show it, and coach Dorival is seeing that,” Luan told the press when asked about the manager’s remarks.

Well, since then, the midfielder, once seen as one of the biggest prospects from São Paulo’s academy and who reached his peak by scoring the decisive goal in the 2021 Campeonato Paulista title over rivals Palmeiras, has declined sharply. He was frozen out of the squad by Thiago Carpini and was even loaned to Vitória.

His lifeline at Morumbi came precisely with the return of Hernán Crespo, the coach who led the team to that state title. Luan, who had appeared on some of the board’s lists of players available for departure since the start of the year, was reintegrated. He even ended up being one of the indirect reasons behind the Argentine’s dismissal, after being surprisingly named in the starting lineup in the Paulista semifinal, once again against rivals Palmeiras.

Well, with Dorival back, the No. 33, who has played 14 matches this year, ten of them coming off the bench, did get on the pitch in the return debut against Millonarios in the Sudamericana, but stayed on the bench against Botafogo and Boston River. In the last game, away to Remo, he was not even included in the squad.

The coach’s preference seems obvious: a preference for academy names such as Hugo Leonardo and Djhordney. Plus, of course, asking for the signing of Newton from Botafogo, for whom the club has opened negotiations. Once again putting Luan’s stay in doubt.

This scenario further reduces Luan’s place in the plans for the rest of the season. His contract situation also weighs heavily. Since his deal expires in December, Tricolor will need to decide in the coming days whether it intends to renew his contract or negotiate his transfer to avoid losing him without financial compensation. But given the whole context, the feeling is that this chapter is indeed close to ending.

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