Leonardo Jardim hints at Flamengo player's future during World Cup | OneFootball

Which Flamengo player was mentioned by Leonardo Jardim in the press conference?

Johnny was included in the Flamengo squad for the match against Grêmio on Sunday (10), in the Brasileirão. In a press conference, coach Leonardo Jardim spoke about the young left back and also revealed plans for youth players during the break for the 2026 World Cup.

— With no left back available, we brought in Johnny, a boy who is just starting out, and we were not going to throw him in at the deep end. In my career, I have already introduced dozens and dozens of great players. Young players have to be prepared to do well, and I still have not had time to prepare him — he said, before concluding:

— I’m going to use the final part of May and the start of the next preseason stretch in June and July to look at the best players from the academy and the under-20s. I haven’t had that opportunity, they play, we are traveling. It’s not possible to build dynamics. That is why, at this moment, the focus is on players who are working with us every day —, Leonardo Jardim concluded in the press conference.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH JOHNNY IN FLAMENGO VS GRÊMIO IN THE BRASILEIRÃO?

Left back Johnny joined Flamengo’s preparations in Porto Alegre on Friday (08) to take the place of Alex Sandro, who was serving an automatic suspension. As a result, the 19-year-old youngster was one of the options for the position in the match against Grêmio.

In the second half, Ayrton Lucas had to leave the pitch due to fatigue. However, coach Leonardo Jardim chose not to put Johnny on the left and instead deployed Varela there, placing Emerson Royal on the right.

HAS JOHNNY ALREADY PLAYED FOR FLAMENGO’S FIRST TEAM?

It is important to point out that this was Johnny’s first experience with Leonardo Jardim; however, the defender has already made appearances for Flamengo’s first team. Last season, the player featured against Mirassol in the final round of the Brasileirão.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

While Johnny enjoys the opportunity, the Flamengo squad is focused on the next commitment of the season. This Thursday (14), Mengo faces Vitória in the fifth round of the Copa do Brasil. Kickoff is at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) at Barradão. Therefore, Coluna do Fla TV will bring all the details of the match on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media.

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