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The captain of the Portuguese national team, Christiano Ronaldo will not be available for selection in the international friendly game against Super Eagles of Nigeria on Thursday.
Portugal national team coach, Fernando Santos has stated reasons why Ronaldo will be unavailable for the encounter, saying that he’s sick.
He said “He is suffering from gastroenteritis and will not train today for this reason. “Ronaldo won’t be ready to face Nigeria, he’s resting, as you know, gastritis takes a lot out of players.
Ronaldo did not take part in the Red Devils games against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup and Fulham in the Premier League due to the illness.
However, the veteran forward may have played his last game for the Red Devils after he granted an explosive interview to ace British journalist Piers Morgan where he slammed the club’s owners, the hierarchy, his manager, even his teammates.
Speaking on the controversial interview, Santos said, “We need to respect what others think and say, provided it doesn’t impact what I do.
“None of my players have made a comment regarding the interview, at all.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo is a free man. The buzz and discussion [around him] is taking place outside the national team. It doesn’t impact us.”
Although the Super Eagles will not be going to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the friendly against Portugal is another opportunity for new manager Jose Peseiro to continue his progress with the team.
The match will take place at the 50,000-capacity Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon and it is the first-ever full international between Portugal and Nigeria.
The game will start by 7:30pm Nigerian Time.