Portuguese Football in English
Veteran Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patrício will be a free agent this summer as he comes to the end of his three-year contract with AS Roma.
36-year-old Patrício has recently lost his starting spot at Roma following the departure of José Mourinho, with new boss Daniele de Rossi switching his preference to former Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar.
Diogo Jota has been cruelly stopped amid sensational recent form at Liverpool by an injury to his knee, but early reports suggest the forward hopes to play again this season.
Jota suffered the damage when Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard landed on his leg after the pair tussled for possession on Saturday. Liverpool cruised to a 4-1 victory in London, but the mood around the club was bittersweet after Jota was forced off moments before half time.
José Mourinho has been speaking to former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, covering a wide range of topics following his recent departure from AS Roma.
Mourinho left the Giallorossi in January, with his departure six months before the end of his contract surprising many, particularly given the Portuguese’s popularity with Roma fans. During his interview with Ferdinand, Mourinho revealed that he rejected an approach from the Seleção to replace Fernando Santos after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Cristiano Ronaldo is off the mark for 2024 after scoring his first goal of the year in Al Nassr’s 1-0 victory at Al Fayha in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
Luis Castro’s side secured a narrow advantage against their local rivals in the last-16 of the competition, thanks to Ronaldo’s brilliant finish with ten minutes to spare in Riyadh.
All has not been well for Manchester United this season. There have been enough headlines written about that over the last six months, and there is perhaps not enough column space here to go through all the reasons. That said, fans of the club have seen some green shoots over January and February, not least in attack, where United’s forwards seem to have finally found their shooting boots. Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho have all picked up in recent weeks, and there has been a growing sense that the front three offer a dynamic that may yet turn this season into a mildly successful one for United.
Of course, it is Bruno Fernandes that is the engine room behind that attack. Fernandes has not had his best season – by his own admission – but he has been quietly picking up form in 2024, and he is one of the key factors behind United’s recent rejuvenation in attack.
