Midfield injuries hand Evertton Araújo another race against time at Flamengo | OneFootball

Midfield injuries at Flamengo have opened a short window for 23-year-old Evertton Araújo to put together a run and show his progress.

According to Globo.com, only three recent academy products are in the 26-man squad, Dyogo Alves with 5 senior games, Wallace Yan with 43 and Evertton with 82, the most of the trio.

He caught the eye in 2022 during a Volta Redonda training game at the Ninho do Urubu, earning a loan through 2023. A fibula fracture in April cut short his audition, yet a projected six-month lay-off became four, and he returned to start and win the Brasileiro Sub-20. Flamengo then bought 70% of his rights for R$ 1.1 million.

After ageing out of the under-20s, he feared a loan, but Tite brought him into the first team. His involvement continued under Filipe Luís and now Leonardo Jardim in 2026, and he is the only midfielder or hybrid option in the role to avoid injury this season.

De la Cruz had a knee issue in pre-season, Saúl underwent ankle surgery, Jorginho injured a thigh then a calf, Pulgar hurt a shoulder and Paquetá sustained a thigh problem.

With Pulgar and Paquetá still sidelined and Jorginho only just back, Evertton is set for more minutes as Flamengo open the Copa do Brasil on Wednesday at 21:30 (Brasília time) against Vitória at the Maracanã.

Source: Globo.com