Former coach sees hope in Nuno Santos at Sporting: he'll come back stronger | OneFootball

Pedro Cunha, training coordinator and coach of the under-21 team at Al-Muharraq, Bahrain, is convinced that Nuno Santos will return to the field in his best form and, in doing so, help Rui Borges' team achieve the remaining objectives of this 2025/26 season.

"Nuno had already faced two complicated situations, in terms of ligaments - the first at Benfica and the second at Rio Ave - and he always returned at a very high level, because, in terms of character and fighting for what he believes in, Nuno is exemplary", he explained in an interview with the newspaper Record.

The 59-year-old coach also praised the athlete's resilience, who can play along the entire left side. "Nuno's resilience, focus, and super-competitive mentality will help him overcome another obstacle in his sporting life and, with everyone's help, he will come back stronger".

"Nowadays, age is no longer an issue. Everything that, in terms of performance and rehabilitation, is available to athletes helps ensure that age doesn't weigh as much. There is an increasingly professional approach to these situations, so players can return to competition in the best conditions", he said, regarding the fact that Nuno Santos, at 30 years old, suffered a ligament injury at this age.

The international player from the youth ranks of the national team returned to Rui Borges' squad list, more than a year later, and witnessed the epic victory against Athletic Bilbao (3-2), which secured passage to the Champions League round of 16, and witnessed the first victory of the lions on Spanish soil.

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