Morita set for a 'gift' from Rui Borges at Sporting | OneFootball

Hidemasa Morita is expected to start for Santa Clara - Sporting, a match corresponding to the 11th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic, taking place in the Azores this Saturday, November 8. The midfielder was not in the starting lineup against Juventus, a situation that may change in the upcoming match.

It's worth remembering that when he was left out of his national team's squad, it was an unusual situation for the Sporting midfielder, who has been an essential part of the Japanese team.

Rui Borges was likely pleased. The long trips Hidemasa Morita makes to represent his national team have been a challenge for the player, who, this time, may stay and train at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy with the Sporting coach, being one of the few main squad players remaining in Alcochete during the FIFA international break.

The results of his stay in Portugal will only be seen after the break, but Morita might receive a 'gift' from Rui Borges even before the international commitments: the Sporting coach is seriously considering starting the midfielder in the next match against Santa Clara, according to the newspaper Record.

João Simões was the most utilized player in Sporting's demanding cycle, which is now coming to an end. In this context, Rui Borges might field Morita against Santa Clara - the first team he represented in Portugal - since the player will be fresher and won't be subjected to the workload during his national team's activities.

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