98 short minutes of play for 63 days of absence and 11 missed matches. Here is the sad assessment of Renato Sanches (26 years old) since his arrival at AS Roma. Loaned by Paris Saint-Germain on August 16, the Portuguese international midfielder (32 caps, 3 goals) is going through a real ordeal in Italy. In continuation of the physical fragility seen in the French capital, the native of Lisbon, in fact, multiplies the physical glitches. Muscular problems, adductor pain, thigh strains… the ex-Bayern Munich player is, today, a loyal client of the Roman infirmary.
“Renato Sanches is a player who is too often uncertain. It’s difficult to understand. Bayern Munich did not understand, neither did PSG. We get tired of trying to understand. He is a great player who needs to play. He played 45 minutes in the last match (Empoli, 4th day of Serie A, editor’s note), he had three days of recovery, he was in great shape to play today, but he felt something., regretted José Mourinho, a few minutes after the victory against Sheriff Tiraspol (2-1) in the Europa League, at the end of September. A situation which has hardly improved since then.
An unbearable situation for AS Roma!
On the sidelines, Renato Sanches has only played 6.5% of the matches for the current ninth in Serie A this season. A starving balance sheet and far from the 55% necessary for the purchase option of 11 million euros to become obligatory. In this perspective, the Gazzetta dello Sport also indicates that the Giallorossi have already made a big decision with their number 20. Thus, according to the famous pink paper newspaper, AS Roma will not exercise the option to purchase Renato Sanches, although at least that’s the current trend.
Tired of these repeated injuries, the Roman club should also throw in the towel, especially in view of the sums paid for a player who hardly plays. As a reminder, the one who earns 3.5 million plus bonuses (PSG covers part of the costs) has already cost the Italian management €855,000, or 523,968 euros per hour if we rely on the 98 few minutes played so far… A colossal amount for a club which must also make some savings in the months to come. Recently questioned about the Renato Sanches case, Tiago Pinto, the general director of Roma, could not hide his anxieties.
“Anything that goes wrong with Renato Sanches will have only one person responsible, myself”declared the Italian leader first before continuing with a touch of optimism. “When he was at Benfica, I wanted to get him and I didn’t succeed. I’m aware of the risks, but this time I didn’t want to miss the chance to have it. He had problems, if he has any more it will be my fault. But with this staff and this coach, I am convinced that we will be able to make him give the best of himself.. Quite a challenge for a player who has 22 injuries since his experience at Bayern Munich and 38 if we include his debut at Benfica…
