Roberto Martínez explained this Friday that the succession of João Cancelo and João Felix to the Portugal national team is a way to “support” the two players and praised Pedro Neto, a novelty for the next Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Both Cancelo, still at Manchester City, and João Felix, still at Atlético Madrid, have been out of competition since June, that is, they have not played for almost three months, but even so, they remained in the selection of the Portuguese coach for duel. with Slovakia and Luxembourg, from J Group.
“September fees always create a lot of difficulties due to the summer market. Some players are in a difficult situation and now is the time to support them. We have to appreciate the work that both Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix have done in the last two matches. training fees. This is very important for us,” said Roberto Martinez.
The 50-year-old was speaking to reporters at the Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, at a press conference to announce the squad for the next matches in Portugal on their way to the final stage of Euro 2024.
“I like to appreciate the work of the players when they serve the national team. Both Cancelo and Joao Felix performed very well. I believe in the talent of Joao Felix and in his personality. He was flawless in the last two training periods. “, – confirmed the Spanish coach.
Martinez confirmed that Rafael Guerreiro, Nuno Mendes and Renato Sanchez will miss the squad due to injuries, as well as Pepe, although the 40-year-old center plays for Porto, and highlighted the qualities of Pedro Neto, which is big news for the list.
“This is a prime example of the excellent work of Rui Jorge [selecionador] do before the age of 21. I really liked your attitude at the last European [sub-21] and I really liked the games I saw in the English league. He is a versatile player and perfect for what we want to do against Slovakia,” he admitted.
Martinez went even further and even considered the training process in Portugal “the best in Europe”, and also addressed the “wave” of players heading to Saudi Arabia: Otavio and Ruben Nuves joined Cristiano Ronaldo in the country’s league.
“We have to give it time to see if this is a solid project. Of course it’s important to have players in the best leagues, the most competitive leagues. Let’s give this time. I have had players who have played outside of Europe and that has never been a negative issue,” he said.
Martinez’s team of 24 will join the team on Monday at the Cidade do Futebol stadium.
Portugal will face Slovakia in Bratislava on 8 September and three days later on 11 September will host Luxembourg in the Algarve.
After four rounds, the team leads Group J with 12 points, adding only wins, ahead of second-place Slovakia with 10 and Luxembourg, third, with seven. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland each have three points, while Liechtenstein remains at zero.
The first two places in the group give direct access to the final phase of the European Championship, which will be held next year in Germany.