Bruno Lage breaks silence on Benfica exit, talks successor | OneFootball

Bruno Lage spoke for the first time since being dismissed from Benfica. Upon leaving Seixal, the coach was approached by the press present at the location and spoke of "constraints" that did not allow for success, refusing to comment on whether the chosen successor is José Mourinho.

"The most important thing is that I wish Benfica very well. That was what we tried to do upon our return, and it was in that spirit that we worked hard at the start of the season, to show a different squad from the one I found a year ago when we arrived. But some constraints, both internal and external, did not allow us to do better," he said.

Next, Bruno Lage addressed the succession and wished "the best of luck to the next man," refusing to name names: "I don't know if the news is confirmed, if it's Mr. Mourinho or not. He is a man who knows Benfica well, having played against us three times."

"He knows this team well, often praised the squad, said I was a happy man because of the options I had, and he will be even happier with Sudakov and Dodi Lukebakio coming in to play," concluded the now former Benfica coach.

When questioned about the situation in recent times, Lage was straightforward: “What went wrong? We've talked about it several times during the conferences... Thank you very much. I want to give a hug to the players, they always followed my instructions. I feel fulfilled, and the most important thing is that I wish Benfica very well because Benfica did a lot for my career."

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