Sporting get a huge boost: Nuno Santos has a return date | OneFootball

Nuno Santos continues to work on regaining his best physical condition and, at this stage, the expectation is that he will return to the pitch in the second half of October. The 31-year-old player remains part of Sporting's Performance Unit, where he is following a specific plan to strengthen his right knee.

The aim is to ensure a full recovery and, above all, prevent the muscle problems that emerged after his last injury from affecting his availability again. The left-footed player wants to recover steadily so he can return to playing and once again take on an important role in Rui Borges' team.

Nuno Santos suffered a serious right knee injury in October 2024, when he sustained a complete rupture of the patellar tendon, a situation that forced him to stay out of competition for around 15 months. After returning, he again faced muscle problems, which ended up keeping him sidelined once more. His last official match was played on May 4, against V. Guimarães, in the penultimate round of the 2025/26 league season.

Despite his absence, the number 11 shirt still has a strong presence in the dressing room and remains close to his teammates, according to the newspaper 'A Bola'. Rui Borges is also awaiting his return because of the quality he brings, but not only that: his commitment, fighting spirit, ability to motivate the group and versatility are all highly valued traits.

His contract situation will be another issue to follow in the coming months. Nuno Santos is in the final year of his contract, and Sporting's board intends to assess his performances during the current season, with special attention to his physical response. At this point, Sporting's officials are not planning to renew it(Find out more HERE).

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