Exclusive Leonino – Rui Borges’ decision leaves Sporting player unhappy | OneFootball

João Simões was surprised by the fact that he was left out of the squad for the Braga - Sporting match, Leonino reports. After starting and playing well against Napoli in the Champions League, the young midfielder from the Alvalade club did not expect the decision made by Rui Borges upon the lions' return to Liga Portugal Betclic.

Sources close to the situation revealed exclusively to our newspaper that the decision made by the coach of the green and whites in the most recent round of the national championship was a topic of conversation between the player and his teammates, as he sought the best response to being left out of the match.

At the end of the game, Rui Borges made it clear that it was purely a technical decision. With that said, it is expected that the midfielder - recently called up for the first time to the under-21 national team - will be a regular option for the coach, aiming to continue his gradual development at Sporting.

For now, João Simões holds a position as the 'fourth midfielder' of the green and white team. Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita are Rui Borges' 'preferred' starters, while Kochorashvili has been coming off the bench as needed for each match. However, the young lion will have his importance during a rotation phase of the squad, especially with a tighter schedule.

This season, wearing the Sporting jersey, João Simões - valued at 6 million euros - has played three matches. At the start of the season, the midfielder trained at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy has 81 minutes: 78 in the Champions League and two in the League. It's worth remembering that the 'number 52' of the lions recently returned from a long injury layoff.

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