Luan has her name written in the recent history of Sao Paulo. Absolute holder under the command of Hernán Crespo, it was his the corn that paved the way for the title of Paulista Championship in 2021, the only tricolor of the last decade. Less than two years later, mostly recovering, the midfielder’s situation is completely different.
Luan is one of the least active players in the Sao Paulo squad these days. Among the defensive midfielders of the team, he is the only one not to have been chosen as a starter in any match by Rogério Ceni. Jhegson Mendez, Pablo Maia and Rodrigo Nestor are the best performers. Gabriel Neves, who at the start of the year was not rated for me, also had opportunities. Already Luan, who scored in the 3-1 win over Santosbuilt in 93 minutes on the pitch in the season ahead of the bank.
In the entire cast, he is only the 22nd most played. Less than him, only Igor Vinícius (89), who was injured in the second game of 2023 and never returned, Marcos Paulo (75), who has not yet joined the club, in addition to Juan ( 44), Matheus Belém (44) and Talles Costa (28), players formed from the base and fighting for space. Felipe Alves, Jandrei, Rodriguinho, Alisson, Diego Costa, André Anderson, Moreira and Caio, injured or Ceni’s choice, not always played a minute in 2023.
Although the scenario seems surprising, it is not new to Luan’s career. He, injured the day Rogério Ceni took charge of the team, in 2021, remained sidelined for a long time due to a tendon avulsion (detachment of the muscle from the bone) at the level of the adductor of the left thigh. At the time, the treatment chosen was conventional, without surgery. Five months later, he again had physical problems and on June 22, 2022, he finally underwent an operation.
For this reason, last year he was also one of those who received the fewest chances from the coach. In all, he spent only 446 minutes on the pitch, being the 34th in the team with the most opportunities, behind even players who did not even stay all year at the club, such as Tiago Volpi, Marcos Guilherme, Ferraresi, Galoppo, Gabriel Sara, Marquinhos and Rigoni. Luan has played more than Nahuel Bustos, André Anderson, Beraldo, Toró and Caio.
And the player’s chance to start his comeback could be this Tuesday, in the clash against São Bento, for Paulistão. In the press conference after the departure from Inter Limeira, there was only one type of problem with the athlete, and it was stated that the goal and expected on the road for the avenue were: “I spoke a lot with Luan, I want to give him more minutes, that he is more and more in good physical shape and I hope that the renewal will happen. I don’t know what São Paulo can do, but he is a player who loves the club very much and this could be the opportunity to convince the player to stay, even if he does not reach the salary standard that the the athlete would retain. »
Due to few opportunities, in his last year of contract and with good performances in the past, Luan already has his name broken down in other clubs, such as Palm trees e guild. Ceni, however, hopes that he stays and renews his link, unlike other sportsmen singled out as promises of Cotia, but who have chosen to leave Morumbi.
» I hope it will work. Luan is an important player for us. I understand that a player of his quality, being free, it is logical that there are successful teams, as was the case with Igor Gomes, Luizão, Marquinhos. They « They are valuable players, that’s important to us. The board understands that the best way is to use him and make sure he has as many minutes as possible, and that’s what I will do. His identification with the supporters facilitates the renovation. . I hope that will happen. as soon as possible. «
See this photo on Instagram
Sao Paulo’s next matches
São Bento (F) – 02/21, 7:30 p.m. – Paulista Championship
Sao Bernardo (C) – 02/25, 6:30 p.m. – Paulista Championship
Botafogo-SP (F) – 05/03, 4 p.m. – Campeonato Paulista