Benfica ‘to hold back’ Aursnes for Sporting derby | OneFootball

Benfica are weighing a cautious return for Fredrik Aursnes, aiming to have him fit for the derby at Alvalade. Record reports that the club, in full agreement with José Mourinho’s staff, intend to keep the midfielder on standby.

Aursnes is pushing to come back quickly, accelerating his recovery, but Mourinho prefers to delay his inclusion in the squad to ensure he is ready for Sporting. The 63-year-old wants to avoid any setback or recurrence of a muscle injury.

The plan is to keep him out against Casa Pia and Nacional, the fixtures that precede the derby.

Even so, the report does not rule out limited minutes versus Nacional, so the 30-year-old has match rhythm for 19 April.

This season Aursnes has made 43 appearances for Benfica, 22 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 14 in the Champions League, four in the Taça de Portugal, two in the Taça da Liga and one in the Supertaça.

Across 3,635 minutes he has scored four goals and provided eight assists. He is valued at €17 million.

Source: Glorioso 1904