Martinelli returns to the Fluminense squad before the Copa break | OneFootball

Defensive midfielder Martinelli returned to training with the Fluminense squad on Monday morning at CT Carlos Castilho. The midfielder had suffered a grade 3 injury to his left thigh on April 23 during the first-leg match against Operário in the Copa do Brasil.

Initially, the medical department expected him to return in six to eight weeks, which would have meant the player coming back only after the break for the World Cup. However, Martinelli progressed better than expected during treatment and was able to speed up stages of his recovery.

Last week, the defensive midfielder had already resumed ball work, but he was still training separately from the rest of the group and without physical contact. This Monday, however, he took part in training with his teammates for the first time since the injury.

The internal expectation was precisely that Martinelli would be reintegrated into the squad at the start of this week, a scenario that was confirmed at CT Carlos Castilho. Despite the progress, the club is still handling the situation cautiously, and there is no confirmation yet of a return to matches before the calendar break.

Fluminense still have two matches before the season is interrupted: the decisive clash against Deportivo La Guaira this Wednesday in the Copa Libertadores, and the match against Cruzeiro next Sunday in the Brazilian Championship.

Martinelli continues to be evaluated daily by the medical department, but his recovery is already considered to be ahead of initial expectations.

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