Nuno Santos return date set, Sporting decide winger's future | OneFootball

Nuno Santos is expected to return to competition around January 15. The long ordeal of Sporting’s ‘number 11’ is close to ending, and the player may only have three more weeks away from Rui Borges’ main squad. Additionally, the winger is set to return along with... a contract renewal.

This information is being reported by the newspaper A Bola, which details the Portuguese player’s timeline. Like Daniel Bragança, he is not expected to be immediately included in Rui Borges’ plans for the various matches in the first month of 2026, but he will begin working towards that goal.

At that time, Sporting have a scheduled match against Casa Pia on January 18, but before then, Nuno Santos will still miss the games against Vitória SC (December 23 and January 6, for the League Cup), Rio Ave (12/28), Gil Vicente (01/02), and the possible Allianz Cup final, which is set for January 10, should Rui Borges’ team secure a place.

After this period, Sporting have two extremely important matches for the Champions League—the last of this stage of the competition. The Lions play at home against PSG (01/20) and away against Athletic Bilbao (01/28). By then, Rui Borges is expected to be able to count on Nuno Santos.

The same source also reveals that after Nuno Santos returns to competition, Sporting’s SAD and the player’s agent are expected to sit down at the table to begin discussing a contract renewal, likely until 2030—as has been happening with other teammates. Currently, the 30-year-old’s contract runs until 2027, but the club’s management wants to reward his dedication throughout this long recovery process.

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