Ricardo Mangas faces tough times at Sporting, slips down the pecking order | OneFootball

Matheus Reis is one of the players Rui Borges does not do without. Although he is not a regular starter, the Lions’ coach considers the Brazilian a fundamental member of Sporting’s project. The Brazilian defender has surpassed Ricardo Mangas in the hierarchy and is now the direct alternative to Maxi Araújo.

There are many factors that contributed to this overtaking and that put the ‘number 2’ ahead of the reinforcement signed from Spartak. In the coach’s view, Matheus Reis offers greater defensive guarantees, and could be important in situations where the Lions need to play with a deeper defensive line.

As our newspaper previously reported exclusively, the return of Nuno Santos to the pitch, and consequently to Alvalade’s squad list, will further reduce Ricardo Mangas’ opportunities, which is why the management does not rule out the player’s departure in the summer transfer window.

Moreover, at the end of the match, which ended with Sporting’s victory over Estrela da Amadora (4-0), Matheus Reis praised his teammates as well as Rui Borges, whom he says has been fundamental for the team since arriving at Alvalade at the end of 2024.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Ricardo Mangas – valued at 2.5 million euros – has played nine matches. Over the 656 minutes he was used by Rui Borges, the Algarve footballer has already scored two goals, both in a brace against Arouca.

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