Uruguay boss reveals De La Cruz’s fitness, explains Flamengo star’s absence | OneFootball

De La Cruz remains available for Flamengo

Amid the call-ups for the FIFA international break, Nicolás de la Cruz, a guaranteed name for Uruguay, was left out by coach Marcelo Bielsa for the final two matches of the Qualifiers. This Friday (29), the Uruguayan coach gave details about the midfielder’s clinical situation and explained the reason for not calling up the Flamengo player.

— The process for De La Cruz is as follows: even as a substitute, he will not be called up. He explained the reason. Because, obviously, we understand that he is healthy; we saw him play after the injury and we believe it is better for a player to start getting minutes when he is fully healthy. So, the best thing we can do is try to ensure that he completes the reintegration process into competitive football so that he can play consistently for his club. Not force him to play for the national team without first having played for his club — said Marcelo Bielsa.

— This is the decision I have made for now. If he does not complete this process at his club, since I value him highly and consider him an asset to the team (De La Cruz), I will try to find a way to help him start this process with the national team. But the national team situation has its nuances, because he plays on Sunday for his club, arrives on Monday, and we play on Thursday, so there is no time to prepare a player. That’s why we believe it’s better for him to first meet the club’s requirements — concluded the Uruguay coach this Friday (29), in a press conference.

WHAT IS THE CONTEXT OF THE SITUATION INVOLVING DE LA CRUZ?

Last month, the then doctor of Flamengo, José Luiz Runco, shared in a group that Nicolás de la Cruz had a chronic and irreversible knee injury. As a result, the information gained prominence throughout Brazil. Thus, the Most Beloved fired the professional and began to support the athlete.

IS DE LA CRUZ PLAYING FOR FLAMENGO?

Nicolás de la Cruz has returned to play for Flamengo. The red-black midfielder took part in the match against Vitória last Monday (25). The Uruguayan played for 20 minutes in the historic 8-0 thrashing. During that period, he completed 95% of his passes and had 100% accuracy in long balls.

WHEN DOES FLAMENGO PLAY?

With Nicolás de la Cruz available, Flamengo remains focused on the upcoming challenges. The Most Beloved takes the field this Sunday (31), against Grêmio, at 4pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã. The match is valid for the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship.

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