Otamendi to stay at Benfica? Some say: There are old hands... | OneFootball

As he enters the last six months of his contract, Nicolás Otamendi's future is once again a topic of discussion. The captain of Benfica, now 38 years old, is one of the most important players on the team, and José Mourinho believes that his age does not affect his performances on the field.

Present in the press room of Benfica Campus, the Special One, before talking about the Argentine, spoke about the goal for the League Cup. Regarding the footballer, the Portuguese coach began by giving an example of what the ages of footballers really mean: "One thing is the real age, and another is what we see on the field, in training".

Then, José Mourinho continued his reasoning, stating that there are athletes and athletes, and that age sometimes does not influence anything: "There are 20-year-olds who are old players and there are 38 and 40-year-olds who are young. Nico is young".

About the commitment of the Eagles' captain, one of the most veteran players still active, Mourinho revealed part of a dialogue he had with Otamendi: "I asked him directly: 'what do we do tomorrow?' He said: 'We have Guimarães, Leverkusen, and Tondela'".

Finally, José Mourinho reiterated the role that the Argentine has in the locker room, stating that bureaucratic matters are the responsibility of the management: "He plays. He is very important to us. Contractual and future issues are for people at a higher level than mine to decide".

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