Valverde explains Selton Sued return to B team, prioritising minutes at his age | OneFootball

Selton Sued has been omitted from Athletic’s latest first-team squad and will drop to the B team this weekend to get minutes. According to El Correo, he is due to start for Jokin Aranbarri’s side against Talavera.

Ernesto Valverde said the move is mainly for the player, noting there are now more senior options available. He stressed the priority at his age is to play.

The B team have won only two of the last nine, slipping to eighth but just one point off fifth.

Sued burst into the first team with a Champions League debut against Newcastle, then started days later in the win over Real Oviedo. Since then he has made only two further starts, including 70 minutes in the Copa quarter-final at Valencia, and on 7 March he was replaced at half-time in the 0-1 loss to Barça at San Mamés.

Athletic have him under contract to 2029 with a 30 million release clause. Valverde rates his rare profile but says introducing such players is harder in difficult spells. He added Sued remains with the group and could play at any time, and that any loan or further B stint will be decided in due course.

Source: El Correo