Manuel Mendonça gets major boost from Rui Borges before Sporting clash | OneFootball

Manuel Mendonça may make his debut for Sporting's first team in the next Portuguese Cup match, against Marinhense. The green and white coach, Rui Borges, is preparing to debut more players from the Alvalade Club's youth academy in the upcoming match on Saturday, scheduled for 6:00 PM.

As he did in the League Cup against Alverca, Rui Borges wants to use Sporting's youth to fill the gaps felt and manage the lions' heavy schedule. Considering the Champions League game a few days later, the six injured players in the squad, and the rotation some internationals had during the FIFA international break, the coach considers it important to introduce some new faces into the equation.

The measure also aims to reward the work done by the young green and white players in the lions' B team. According to the newspaper Record, one of the players in pole position to debut in the first team is Manuel Mendonça, who has been performing well in Sporting's secondary team and is returning from duties with the Portuguese U-20 national team.

Another name close to playing in the first team is Gabriel Silva, who was once called up by Ruben Amorim for a trip to Nacional. The forward knows he has a good opportunity to gain minutes at the highest level, considering the injury of Ioannidis, and Luis Suárez's long journey back to Portugal.

Furthermore, the Portuguese Cup game will not only be about debuts. Rui Borges keeps a close eye on some Sporting academy players who have already debuted in the first team and may deserve more minutes, such as Salvador Blopa, Flávio Gonçalves, Lucas Anjos, or Bruno Ramos. The upcoming training sessions at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy will be important for the green and white coach's decisions, not forgetting that the B team plays just a few hours after the first team, on Sunday morning.

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