Flamengo wonderkid Lázaro must wait to make debut after knee surgery | OneFootball

Lázaro is considered Flamengo’s best academy player since Reinier’s ascension to the first-team, but the 17-year-old will have to wait a little bit longer to make his professional debut.

The striker has been ruled out of the São Paulo Cup (Copinha) as he will undergo surgery to repair a minor meniscus issue.

Lázaro, who has a club-record release clause of €80m, is not expected to play in the Taça Guanabara but may still make his first-team debut with Flamengo in the Taça Rio stage of the Campeonato Carioca.

The Flamengo first-team regulars will return late from vacation following their second-place finish at the Club World Cup in Qatar, so they will begin the Taça Guanabara with young first-team squad members and also those participating in the Copinha.

Lázaro was Brazil’s hero at this year’s U-17 World Cup, scoring an 89th-minute winner to knock off France in the semi-final before netting a 93rd-minute winner against Mexico in the final.

With Flamengo, Lázaro helped the club win both the U-17 and U-20 Brasileirão as well as the U-17 Copa do Brasil. He is contracted to the club until 2025.