Zaidu nails down spot at FC Porto and hits top form | OneFootball

FC Porto went into the winter market to bring in four major reinforcements — Thiago Silva, Oskar Pietuszewski, Terem Moffi and Seko Fofana — but in practice, they may also have gained a fifth player who was already in the squad. It is Zaidu, the left-back who is in his sixth season wearing the Dragons shirt and who, after the AFCON, returned to the club looking like a different player.

The Nigeria international has not only nailed down a starting spot in defence, but has also shown a rare consistency on the blue-and-white side: in the visit to Amoreira the day before yesterday, he took his run of strong performances to a new level and stood out as one of the best players on the pitch in the 3-1 win.

This excellent version of Zaidu, which has emerged at exactly the right time — coinciding with Francisco Moura’s dip in form — has pleased Francesco Farioli, who now seems unwilling to do without the number 12 shirt. The 28-year-old left-footer is one of three players to have started each of the Dragons’ last seven matches — the others are Diogo Costa and Bednarek. In such a packed schedule as Porto’s, that is a clear sign of Zaidu’s excellent physical condition.

The full-back’s improvement has, as expected, the coach’s imprint on it, as he restored his confidence after a year-and-a-half spell in which he played little because of a serious injury to his left knee. At the moment, the Nigerian owns the left-back spot at FC Porto and is once again expected to be in the starting eleven for the match in Nottingham on Thursday. Against Estoril, he came off in the 70th minute to make way for Moura, most likely already with the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in mind. Zaidu’s fitness, combined with his good form, could prove decisive at the City Ground, with the Dragons’ European future on the line.

Moreover, Farioli is not the only one pleased with the defender’s recent performances. FC Porto’s hierarchy is also looking favourably on this second life for Zaidu in the blue-and-white shirt, especially because in the last two transfer windows the full-back had been linked with a move away, with interest coming from England and Spain, among others. The contract tying him to the Dragons expires at the end of next season, and the possibility of the club’s board moving to sign a new left-back in the summer has not been ruled out. Even so, Zaidu is calmly carving out his path: for now, he is the first choice for the position and, beyond doing his job, he is also convincing.

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