Arrascaeta: "Flamengo only lose to themselves" amid club drama | OneFootball

Arrascaeta highlighted the strength of the group and minimized the impact of turbulence off the pitch

Recent statements by Dr. José Luiz Runco, former head of the Medical Department of Flamengo, regarding the clinical condition of Nicolás De La Cruz, caused discomfort among the squad members. The negative repercussion led to the professional's dismissal. However, according to Arrascaeta, external situations do not interfere with the internal environment, which remains united and supportive of teammates.

— I usually tell my friends that Flamengo only loses to itself. It's hard to talk about things that happen in the club due to the incapacity of people who have no idea of the size of Flamengo. Those who are not used to dealing with this kind of pressure -, he began, before completing:

— When you have players with a lot of experience, respected, we have a very strong human group. The external will not shake our team, our squad. We are to the death with our teammates. When something happens to one of our colleagues, we will always be there to help him -, concluded Arrascaeta, in a press conference this Friday (15).

WHAT WAS THE CONTROVERSY INVOLVING DE LA CRUZ?

A crisis in the backstage of Flamengo started after the disclosure of a message from José Luiz Runco, until then general medical director of the club, in a WhatsApp group. In the message, Runco questioned the physical condition of De La Cruz, highlighting chronic injuries in both of the player's knees.

Runco also stated that the sale of De La Cruz would only make sense for clubs interested in other reasons than competitive football. The statements generated a great repercussion and, soon after, the medical director was dismissed from Flamengo.

WHAT IS THE SITUATION OF NICOLÁS DE LA CRUZ?

Away from the fields since July 16 due to inflammation in his left knee, De La Cruz completed the recovery process and returned to training on the field. With good physical progress, the number 18 was cleared by the medical department and should be available to Filipe Luís for the clash with Internacional, scheduled for Sunday (17), for the 20th round of the Brasileirão.

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