Sporting plan Nuno Santos return to the squad | OneFootball

Nuno Santos has been working on the field in recent weeks and reintegration into the main squad is approaching. The information was provided by Rui Borges, who, in the pre-match conference for the game against Arouca, indicated that the player should complete his first training under his guidance “next week.”

“I will be very happy if that happens, and I am almost sure it will happen, God willing”, declared the coach, also recalling that, the previous week, the left-footer made himself available to join the team for the trip to Athletic Bilbao, for the Champions League.

If the scenario is confirmed, the 'number 11' will be close to ending a prolonged absence of about 14 months. The injury occurred on October 26, 2024, in the match against Famalicão, when he suffered a rupture of the right knee patellar tendon. Days later, the athlete, now 30 years old, underwent surgery and began a recovery process that ended up extending beyond what was initially expected.

With such a long period of inactivity, the return to competition will be phased, starting with regaining training rhythm before gradually returning to official matches for Sporting, with the aim of avoiding unnecessary risks at this stage.

Nuno Santos – valued at 7 million euros – joined Sporting in 2020, coming from Rio Ave, for 4.15 million euros (Transfermarkt data). Since then, the 30-year-old winger has accumulated 196 matches, 34 goals, 42 assists, and seven titles won (three National Championships, one Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, one Portuguese Cup, and two League Cups).

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