Diniz on Matheus França’s first minutes for Vasco | OneFootball

In the press conference after the 3-2 victory over Sport this Sunday (31), at Ilha do Retiro, coach Fernando Diniz commented on the debut of Matheus França wearing Vasco's jersey. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder only entered in the final minutes of the match, in his first appearance for the club.

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Vasco announces the signing of Matheus França — Photo: Matheus Lima / CRVG

– He played little because I thought he should play little. You don't know how the player is, how long he can last... He is coming off an injury, trained a few days at Crystal Palace, and had two training sessions with us. The fact that he played a little was for him to get a feel for the atmosphere — explained Diniz.

Reinforcement announced last week

Matheus França was officially announced by Vasco last Tuesday (26). The player joins on a one-year loan from Crystal Palace, England, with no purchase option. The attacking midfielder's name was approved by Fernando Diniz and also by Felipe Maestro, the club's technical director.

With a contract valid at Palace until June 2028, França is considered a player with potential for the future. He is already the 12th reinforcement for Vasco in 2025, joining Thiago Mendes, Andrés Gómez, Robert Renan, and more recently, defender Carlos Cuesta.

Career and expectations

Revealed by Flamengo, Matheus França gained prominence in 2022, when he scored six goals and participated in the victorious campaigns of the Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil. The following year, he maintained good numbers under Vítor Pereira's command before being transferred to English football.

At Vasco, the expectation is that França will gradually gain space. A standout in Brazil's youth national teams, he arrives to bring more speed and creativity to the offensive sector, in an adaptation process that, according to Diniz, will be done cautiously.

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Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco.

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