Martínez hails Costa and Mora: "A special player, much improved" | OneFootball

Roberto Martínez made an appearance this Friday on the program ‘Futebol Total’ on Canal 11 and spoke about the national team, which will compete in the 2026 World Cup, organized by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The coach revealed that he has been monitoring a list of 55 players throughout this season and discussed the development of young talents Geovany Quenda (Sporting) and Rodrigo Mora (FC Porto).

“Our youth development is one of the best in Europe. I like to give opportunities to new players; the hardest part is the moment of the call-up. When they are within the scope of the National Team, it is very difficult for the player. There is an aspect of adaptation. Rodrigo Mora was part of the final list for the Nations League. He is a very special player. He has grown a lot and needs to take advantage of the experience. Quenda has incredible potential. I do not regret not putting him in the game against Croatia. If I am looking at a player individually, I am not doing my job; I need to be neutral. In that game, we had Tomás Araújo’s injury, and the idea was for Quenda and Fábio Silva to play. One thing is the plan, but the game was difficult. Results are important. From Geovany’s point of view, it didn’t go well. Criticism is part of our job, but I don’t like the perception that the coach does not follow Sporting’s players. They have fantastic players. Sporting and PSG are the teams with the most call-ups. It is unfair to talk about a perception that is not true. I hope Sporting fans know that this is a lie,” said the Spanish coach, once again praising Rodrigo Mora:

“We had him during June, in the final phase of preparation for the Nations League. For us, he is a number 10 who can play between the lines at a top level. There aren’t many players who can accelerate to reach the box and then have the execution level. That is an incredible asset. I prefer to use Mora outside the central corridor. He is very unpredictable. At FC Porto, with the 4x3x3, there isn’t a number 10 position. Rodrigo, for us, is a special player; what he did last season shows his personality, which is incredible. I also mention João Simões (Sporting), who showed great personality against Bayern. He needs to continue his development. Youth development in Portugal is very good, and we need to be patient and protect the players. Quenda, Rodrigo, and João Simões are on the list of 55 players,” he assured.

At right-back, Alberto Costa (FC Porto) has entered the coach’s radar, who praised his evolution and recent performance before adding:

“I was surprised when I saw him for Vitória SC at Estádio da Luz. He greatly improved his defensive aspects at Juventus and was one of the best players in the Club World Cup in the first two games. He started the season very well with FC Porto. In the right-back position, we have Dalot, Nélson Semedo, João Cancelo, and Matheus Nunes, who has the versatility to play in other positions. To reach the National Team, it’s not just what you do, but when the window opens,” concluded Roberto Martínez.

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