Vasco see Renato Gaúcho reunite with Matheus França to lift midfielder | OneFootball

Vasco has an important asset to try to recover the football of midfielder Matheus França for the remainder of the season. The hiring of coach Renato Gaúcho brings about a direct reunion between the coach and the player, who previously worked together in the youth ranks of rivals Flamengo. The 19-year-old athlete belongs to Crystal Palace of England and signed a loan contract with the Rio club, valid only until June.

The number 9’s stint at São Januário has produced numbers far below the initial expectations of the football department. The Vasco board invested in the signing with the clear understanding that he would immediately become a starter. However, his on-field performance disappointed the management. The player has appeared in 21 matches for the club without scoring a goal or providing any assists to his teammates. His poor performance led him to the bench, even when former coach Fernando Diniz fielded a completely alternative team during the group stage of the Campeonato Carioca.

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Promising history under Vasco’s new coach

The working history between the two parties fuels hope for a turnaround in sporting performance. The youngster’s promotion to the senior squad of the rival club took place under Rogério Ceni at the start of 2021, during a Conmebol Libertadores match against Vélez. However, the player’s definitive integration into the first team happened precisely under the supervision of the coach from Rio Grande do Sul in the final stretch of that same year.

At that time, at just 17 years old, the midfielder won the Copa do Brasil and the Brasileirão titles in the under-17 category. His standout performances in the juniors caught the veteran coach’s attention, who began to regularly call him up for the professionals’ daily training routine. Although he did not play in official matches managed by the coach, the youngster was included in the squad for several top-flight matches.

The million-euro transfer and the current scenario at Vasco

The transition process shaped by the current coach of the cruzmaltino team paid off in the following season. The year 2022 marked the youngster’s breakthrough, as he played 23 games and scored six goals for the first team. His high-level performance attracted the European market, resulting in a direct transfer to the English league valued at 20 million euros, an amount that was about R$ 104 million at the time.

President Pedrinho, who interestingly was also coached by Renato Gaúcho at Vasco in 2008, is closely following the young player’s sporting recovery. The newly hired coaching staff faces the challenge of reviving that vertical style of football so that Matheus França can finally take off with the cruzmaltino shirt in the national tournament.

Matheus França could get a new lease on life at Vasco – Photo: Matheus Lima

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