Mourinho explains Manu’s half-time exit, bad news for Benfica | OneFootball

José Mourinho absolved Manu Silva of any responsibility for the defeat of Benfica in the semi-final of the League Cup. At the end of the match, the Eagles' coach recalled that the midfielder is coming back from a long injury break and, in that sense, is not yet prepared for high-intensity games.

"It wasn't because of Manu. The team was stronger in the second half, but it wasn't because of Manu that we played the way we did in the first half", José Mourinho stated at the press conference, after having criticized various parties, including João Pinheiro, and criticized the Benfica players.

"Manu had one of the most severe injuries in football. He was in a gradual growth process, played the game against Farense, then against Estoril at home where we had little running and a lot of ball possession. We knew there was some risk with Manu, not through his own fault, but because of his situation", concluded the Eagles' coach.

This season, playing for Benfica, Manu Silva - valued at 10 million euros - has played in seven matches: four in the Liga Portugal Betclic, one in the Champions League, one in the Portuguese Cup, and one in the League Cup. The former Vitória de Guimarães player has accumulated 240 minutes of play.

Benfica will be back in action next Wednesday, January 14th, at 20:45, traveling to Porto's ground. The match pertains to the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup and the Eagles have only one objective: to secure a place in the next stage of the prestigious competition.

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