Rui Borges reassures João Simões after leaving him out at Sporting | OneFootball

After having started against Napoli in the Champions League, the fact that João Simões was left out of Sporting - Braga’s squad list continues to be a topic of discussion. Although Rui Borges has already clarified that it was a technical decision, the reasons behind this choice are now known.

According to the newspaper Record, the Lions’ coach ended up telling the truth and it was merely a strategic decision, with Rui Borges preferring to take two center-backs to the substitutes’ bench—Ousmane Diomande and Eduardo Quaresma—and only one midfielder—Giorgi Kochorashvili.

Therefore, although he was not among the Sporting coach’s options for this Liga Portugal Betclic match, the same source reports that João Simões will continue to be trusted by the Lions and, over the coming weeks, will have opportunities to prove himself. Rui Borges assured the young midfielder that his time will come and that the work he has been putting in will pay off.

For now, João Simões currently holds the position of ‘fourth midfielder’ in the green and white squad. Morten Hjulmand and Hidemasa Morita are Rui Borges’ chosen starters, while Kochorashvili has been coming off the bench as needed in each match. However, the young Lion is important for the squad rotation phase, especially with a tighter schedule.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, João Simões—valued at 6 million euros—has made three appearances. At the start of this season, the midfielder trained at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy has played 81 minutes: 78 in the Champions League and two in the League. It’s worth remembering that the ‘number 52’ for 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.