Roberto Martínez: No regrets over Sporting injustice, recalls Quenda | OneFootball

Roberto Martínez explained that he does not regret not having introduced Geovany Quenda to the national team, but he rejects any injustice towards Sporting players in the national team. The Portugal coach was present on the program 'Futebol Total', on Channel 11, and spoke about the Alvalade Club - he had also recently spoken about Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Our training is one of the best in Europe. I like to give opportunities to young players, the most difficult part is the timing 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 Nations League list. He is a very special player. He has grown a lot and needs to take advantage of the experience," Roberto Martínez began to explain.

The national coach continued: "Quenda has incredible potential. I do not regret not having played him in the match 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, the idea was for Quenda and Fábio Silva to play. One thing is the plan, but the game was difficult. Results are important. It went wrong from Geovany's point of view."

"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," the national coach then stated.

After more praise for Rodrigo Mora, he returned to talk about Sporting players: "I also speak of João Simões (Sporting), who showed personality against Bayern. He needs to continue his growth. The training 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".

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