Another injury blow: Sporting left-footer released by FPF | OneFootball

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced this Monday, November 10th, through its official channels, the call-up of João Fonseca to the under-21 national team, replacing João Muniz, Sporting’s central defender, who presented physical problems.

The player from Clube de Alvalade – who is expected to be loaned out in January – was released from national team duties after suffering an injury in the last match of Sporting B, having even been substituted at halftime. The player was deemed unavailable and will no longer be part of the training camp.

"João Muniz, after sustaining an injury in the Sporting B match, was deemed unavailable to help the team at this competitive moment and will no longer be part of the training camp taking place this Tuesday in Oeiras, with the training sessions being held at Cidade do Futebol," reads the official website of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).

In his place, João Fonseca, central defender for Benfica B, has been called up, making his debut at the under-21 level. The player, only 19 years old, already has 41 caps for the youth teams. Portugal will face Czechia on November 18th, in a match counting towards qualification for the 2027 Under-21 Euro.

In 2025/26, João Muniz – valued at 500 thousand euros – has so far played seven matches for Sporting’s B team and one for the main team, totaling 628 minutes, without scoring any goals or providing any assists. The athlete has a contract with Clube de Alvalade until June 2028 and a release clause of 60 million euros.

Best moments of João Muniz against France’s under-21s:

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