Tomás Galvan could be Gallardo’s surprise pick for the debut | OneFootball

The attacking midfielder has been getting good minutes in the friendlies and could earn a spot in the midfield. Castaño and Galoppo are the other options.

Three days before their debut in the Apertura Tournament, Marcelo Gallardo has already defined the core of the team that will face Barracas Central next Saturday. However, given the lack of flair shown in the friendlies, the coach might resort to a surprising change in the midfield: Tomás Galván.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder made a good impression in the matches against Millonarios and Peñarol after returning from his fourth consecutive loan (the latest being at Vélez). Liniers insisted on renewing the loan or even buying part of his rights, but Muñeco asked for him to stay and took him to preseason. And, it seems, he will be one of the offensive options in this first part of the year.

Quick, precise, and with a good reading of the game, Galván had very good spells at Defensa y Justicia (2022), Colón (2023), Tigre (2024), and El Fortín (2025), in that chronological order. In total, outside of Núñez, he has played 125 matches and scored 15 goals in the First Division, as well as showing football growth that made Gallardo give him another chance.

The need for a player with Galván’s characteristics became evident in the friendly against Peñarol, when the midfield formed by Fausto Vera, Aníbal Moreno, and Kevin Castaño failed to create play. That’s why, and to give Juan Fernando Quintero a more permanent partner, the likelihood of the El Talar native starting is growing.

The one who would make way is the Colombian, who could lose ground with the arrival of the two central midfielders from Brazilian football. Giuliano Galoppo, with different characteristics, and Santiago Lencina are other names that could fit in that position but are currently further down the pecking order.

It’s worth remembering that it was Gallardo himself who gave Tomás Galván his First Division debut. It was on May 16, 2021, in that unusual superclásico during the Covid-19 pandemic when River went to La Bombonera with a team full of substitutes and an unknown Leonardo Díaz in goal to play the quarterfinals of the Copa de la Liga. After a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes, Boca would win on penalties and that 21-year-old kid wearing number 33 would play his first minutes with the red sash.

Since then, he has made seven appearances off the bench. In total, Galván played eight matches for River, all with Muñeco as coach, totaling just 146 minutes on the pitch. At the start of 2022, he was no longer in the plans and left for Defensa y Justicia, the first of his four loans.

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