Nehuén Pérez steps up recovery, could return to FC Porto this term | OneFootball

Nehuén Pérez is beginning to see a way out of his long lay-off. Out of action since September 13, the date on which he suffered a complete rupture of his Achilles tendon in FC Porto’s 1-0 win over Nacional, the Argentina international continues to work with the aim of returning to competition before the end of the 2025/26 season.

On Monday, as the Dragons returned to training after the 2-2 draw against Famalicão at the Estádio do Dragão, the 25-year-old defender once again followed a restricted training programme as part of his recovery from surgery, once again showing positive signs and keeping open the possibility of being an option again for Francesco Farioli in the near future.

According to Tuesday’s edition of newspaper A Bola, the blue-and-white medical department never intended to speed up the process, also because the Italian coach has several alternatives for the defensive sector, such as Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior and Thiago Silva.

Dominik Prpic has also been getting minutes in training and opportunities, although the Dragons’ coach has relied more on the adaptation of Pablo Rosario, a true ‘Swiss Army knife’, already used in midfield and even at right-back in the toughest moments.

Even so, the centre-back has continued with intense work, with the clear aim of defying the initial forecasts, which pointed to a return only next season. He went through physiotherapy, progressed to running exercises and is currently awaiting clearance to return to training with the rest of the group.

Update on Rodrigo Mora, Samu Aghehowa and Luuk de Jong

Rodrigo Mora, Samu Aghehowa and Luuk de Jong also remain on FC Porto’s injury list. Among these cases, the one causing the least concern is that of the Portuguese midfielder, who was replaced by Seko Fofana still in the first half of last weekend’s stumble against the Minho side.

On Monday, the young talent was limited to gym work, but, as Desporto ao Minuto reported, he is not at risk for the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, since the tests carried out concluded that the physical complaints were merely the result of a muscle spasm.

Less encouraging are the outlooks for the Spaniard and the Dutchman, who continue to split their time between the treatment room and the gym, so only a ‘miracle’ will bring them back into Francesco Farioli’s squad list for the matches FC Porto still have this season.

The next match is scheduled for Thursday against Nottingham Forest at the Estádio do Dragão. Kick-off is set for 8:00 pm, mainland Portugal time, and it will mark Vítor Pereira’s return to a stage he knows well.

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