Francisco Guimarães backs Benfica regular's exit: no point staying | OneFootball

Francisco Guimarães believes Benfica should not keep Nicolás Otamendi in the squad for the next 2026/27 season, arguing that the Argentine centre-back no longer has what it takes to continue performing at the highest level.

On SIC Notícias' programme 'Jogo Aberto', the pundit was clear in saying that the defender’s time at Luz has come to an end: “It makes no sense at all for Benfica to keep Otamendi, at this moment he does not meet the conditions for that,” he said.

After the match against Famalicão (2-2), the analyst had already criticised the player for the red card following a reckless challenge. The defender tried to recover the ball high up the pitch, but ended up making a very harsh tackle on Mathias De Amorim in the 53rd minute. Stefan de Vrij is one of the alternatives being considered.

“If we’re going to be childish, Benfica could also give the man of the match award to Otamendi, or is it inconvenient to admit that he has been making serious mistakes for years now and that it makes no sense for him to keep playing such a leading role nowadays just because his name is Otamendi?” he wrote on social media platform 'X'.

So far this season, playing for Benfica, Nicolás Otamendi — valued at €1 million — has made 48 appearances: 29 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 14 in the Champions League, two in the Portuguese Cup, two in the League Cup and one in the Super Cup.

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