On loan from Corinthians, academy full-back a month out in Santa Catarina | OneFootball

Right-back Léo Maná, who is on loan from Corinthians to Criciúma until the end of July this year, completed one month without taking the field for the Santa Catarina club this Tuesday (19). Since arriving at the southern club in mid-August last year, he has played only eight matches, just two of them this season.

The youngster’s last match for Criciúma was on April 19, when the Santa Catarina side was beaten by Fortaleza at Arena Castelão in Brazil’s Serie B. On that day, he was on the field for only eight minutes, coming on in the 37th minute of the second half to replace Ruan Rodrigues Carvalho.

Photo: Reproduction/Criciúma

Before that, he had played on April 6, in another Criciúma defeat, also away from home, this time against Goiás, in Serie B. On that occasion, he played 24 minutes after coming off the bench to replace Jean Irmer. Since then, he has not been used by head coach Eduardo Baptista in matches against CRB (H – 3 x 1), Cuiabá (A – 1 x 1), and Atlético-GO (H – 1 x 1). In 2025, he has played 170 minutes for Criciúma. This year, just 32.

Even without much space, Léo Maná has already won a title with Criciúma this season. The Santa Catarina team won the Taça Acesc by beating Camboriú 8 x 7. The tournament was made up of teams eliminated in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the state championship. With the trophy, Tigre secured a place in the 2027 Copa do Brasil.

Léo Maná stood out in Corinthians’ youth ranks but ultimately failed to establish himself in the senior team. Back in 2022, he made his first-team debut in Timão’s 1–0 away loss to América-MG in that year’s Brasileirão. At the time, he was a starter for the Under-17 team.

In 2024, he was permanently promoted to the senior squad after winning the Copinha against Cruzeiro in Itaquera, where he captained the team. In total, he has made 30 appearances in a Corinthians shirt (18 as a starter), with 14 wins, 10 draws, and six defeats, along with one assist. He was part of the squad that won the state title against Palmeiras in 2025. His contract with Alvinegro runs until December 2029.

After the end of the loan spell, Léo Maná is expected to return to Corinthians, though it remains unclear whether he will be used. Currently, Alvinegro has the following options for the position: Matheuzinho and Pedro Milans. Midfielder Raniele has also filled in there in matches when the No. 2 was suspended or serving a punishment from the STJD.

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