Tomás Pérez shines in Chile, could be a surprise pick for FC Porto | OneFootball

Tomás Pérez has been standing out in the Under-20 World Cup, which is taking place in Chile, and has caught the attention of FC Porto fans, the club that signed him in January and with which he has a contract until 2029.

Last season, under the guidance of Martín Anselmi, the Argentine defensive midfielder, formerly of Newell's Old Boys, was used as a central defender in a three-center-back system, taking on a key role in the defensive axis.

In total, he played eight games, six of them in the Primeira Liga, totaling 150 minutes of play. He also played in the Europa League against AS Roma and in the Club World Cup against Palmeiras, coached by Abel Ferreira.

Farioli signed Pablo Rosario

The first six months served as an adaptation period, and an evolution was expected with the arrival of Francesco Farioli, but that progression did not materialize.

The transition to a 4x3x3 system suggested that the 20-year-old could be an alternative to Alan Varela, but the Italian coach requested the signing of Pablo Rosario from the management, led by André Villas-Boas, with whom he had already worked at Nice in 2023/24.

This complicated his situation at the Dragão once again, and Tomás Pérez was sent to gain experience with the blue and white B team, registered in the Segunda Liga. He played three matches, two of them complete, but could not prevent the poor campaign led by João Brandão, currently at the bottom of the table, with only two points in seven rounds.

The serious injury of Nehuén Pérez, on September 13, to his Achilles tendon, seemed to open up space for Tomás Pérez as a central defender, but the choice of the Jan Bednarek–Jakub Kiwior duo, with Dominik Prpić as backup, led to the release of the number 21 for the Under-20 World Cup, being 'freed' for the tournament.

One step away from entering his country's history

In the Argentine Under-20 team, he returned to playing as a central defender in the three-back system and responded categorically: Argentina did not concede any goals in the knockout stage and secured, early this morning, a place in the final.

The final of the 24th edition of the Under-20 World Cup, between Argentina and Morocco, will take place in the early hours of Sunday to Monday, at midnight (Portuguese Mainland time), in Santiago, Chile.

The South Americans can win their seventh title in the competition, following victories in 1979, with Diego Armando Maradona, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, with Lionel Messi, and 2007.

After the tournament, Tomás Pérez will return to the Jorge Costa Training Center, in Olival, in time to help FC Porto prepare for the Europa League match of the third round, on the 23rd, against Nottingham Forest.

FC Porto leads the group with six points, five ahead of Nottingham Forest, which is still seeking its first victory under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou.

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