Morten Hjulmand's fatigue sets alarm bells ringing at Sporting | OneFootball

Morten Hjulmand remains a central figure at Sporting, something also reflected in the physical load he has accumulated throughout the season. The midfielder is the most-used player by the Lions, with 4,122 minutes, and has now returned from international duty even more worn out, after totaling 196 minutes for Denmark and seeing his national team fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The Sporting captain started in the win against North Macedonia and also in the defeat to Czechia, which was only decided after extra time. Hjulmand came off in the 106th minute of that match, once again playing extra time, something that has already happened five times this season, including in Portuguese Cup and Champions League matches.

Before these fixtures, the player himself had already played down the workload. "I’m fine. I’m used to having two games a week and needing to recover in a short period. I’ve been through this before, so it’s not a problem," he said, despite missing out on the chance to take part in a major international tournament.

In the context of Sporting, the numbers highlight the midfielder’s importance. Hjulmand started all 45 matches played by the team and was substituted on only three occasions. He comfortably leads the list of players with the most minutes, ahead of Francisco Trincão and Luis Suárez, counting all competitions for club and country.

Even with the accumulated fatigue, Rui Borges is unlikely to do without the Dane for the home match against Santa Clara. The points gap to leaders Porto leaves no room for error, although the coach already knows he will not be able to count on the midfielder in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals against Arsenal, which will create some room for rest.

, which will have at least seven decisive matches in the three competitions it is still involved in. The schedule includes games against Santa Clara, Arsenal (two legs), Estrela da Amadora, Benfica, Porto and AFS, in a final stretch of the season that promises to put the squad’s physical endurance to the test.

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