Monsalve left out of Grêmio squad again as midfield battle intensifies | OneFootball

Monsalve has slipped down the pecking order at Grêmio, omitted again from the travelling party for Wednesday’s Copa Sul-Americana game at Palestino. According to Globo.com, the Colombian was also left out against Confiança in the Copa do Brasil and Coritiba in the Brasileirão.

Castro’s squad will go straight to Curitiba after the game to face Athletico-PR on Saturday, so Monsalve is likely to miss that too.

Midfield competition has sharpened. With Gabriel Mec starting recently, Castro turned to Riquelme in the second half against Coritiba.

Post-match, the coach said he likes and rates Monsalve, but felt Riquelme was readier and involved in a disallowed goal. He insisted there is no issue with the Colombian, they simply gave Riquelme more minutes.

In 2026, Monsalve has played 12 games, scoring one goal, with no assists in 516 minutes.

Signed in July 2024, he started brightly with five goal involvements in his first eight games, three goals and two assists. He began six of those, all in the Brasileirão, and came off the bench in the other two.

He suffered a left thigh injury in May 2025, then had right shoulder surgery in July for glenohumeral instability, before a shin knock in November in training with Gustavo Martins.

He returned early this year after 87 days out, then suffered a left hamstring injury in his second game back against Botafogo. Whether he can regain his place remains to be seen. The 22-year-old, signed from Independiente Medellín, is contracted until the end of 2028.

Source: Globo.com