Filipe Luís breaks silence, gives update on De La Cruz at Flamengo | OneFootball

De La Cruz received authorization to travel to Uruguay and spend a few days with his family

Nicolás de la Cruz was released by Flamengo to spend a few days in Uruguay, after the controversy involving the player and the club's medical department. Last Sunday (27), coach Filipe Luís took the opportunity to update the situation of the Uruguayan at Mengão. In addition, he opened up and mentioned his relationship with the midfielder.

— Nico is a player who is in the medical department. The ones who set schedules and days off are the medical department. The timeline is with Dr. Fernando Sassaki. As for my relationship with Nico, what I can say is that he is an extraordinary player and helped us a lot up until this pre-World Cup injury. That’s why I am extremely grateful to him — Filipe Luís began.

— It was a very delicate moment for our team. We had an injury to Allan, to Erick, and a sending off for Gerson, so we had Evertton Araújo and would have had to improvise with Varela. I spoke with him, he was at his limit, he played through the pain in that game and ended up getting injured. He’s a guy who, whenever he can, gives everything he has for the team. And a player who sacrifices himself, sacrifices his own body for the team, will always have my protection and affection, and I’m counting the days until he can return because he is very important to us — concluded the Flamengo coach.

WHAT'S THE CONTEXT?

In private conversations, José Luiz Runco, then doctor of Flamengo, stated that Nicolás de la Cruz had a chronic and irreparable injury. As a result, the information quickly spread on social media, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere among the club's staff.

Soon after the incident, Flamengo acted quickly and announced the dismissal of José Luiz Runco. Thus, Nicolás de la Cruz was authorized to spend the weekend in Uruguay. As mentioned by Filipe Luís, the medical department of the red-and-black club was responsible for releasing the athlete.

AND WHAT ABOUT DE LA CRUZ'S SITUATION?

Still unsure if they will be able to count on Nicolás de la Cruz, Flamengo remains focused on the next challenges of the season. The red-and-black team will take the field this Thursday (31) to face Atlético-MG, at Maracanã, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), in a match valid for the Copa do Brasil.

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