On Friday, the coach of the under-21 national team, Rui Jorge, issued a list of squads for the two matches against Romania and Norway, in preparation for the European Championship for the category, with 23 names. Pedro Neto, from Wolverhampton, already an international, has returned to the national team through this move.
Regarding the last original call-up, in November Francisco Mexedo, João Mario, Bernardo Vital, Gonçalo Inácio, Zé Carlos, Vasco Souza and Fabio Carvalho left. Enter, as well as Pedro Neto, Gonçalo Tabuaço, Alexandre Penetra, Tomás Esteves, Tomás Araújo, Dani Silva and Samuel Costa. Goncalo Inácio is among the names called by Roberto Martinez to the main squad.
From this list, note Tomás Araujo, a defender on loan from Benfica to Gil Vicente, as well as midfielder Dani Silva, who is in Guimarães. They are the two athletes in this group of 23 who have not yet capped any Under-21 caps.
Portugal will play Romania next Friday, March 24 (17:00 in mainland Portugal), in Bucharest, in the first of two friendlies. Four days later, on March 28 (19:00), the Portuguese team receives Norway in Póvoa de Varzim.
These are the first two under-21 matches in 2023, which will be held with the aim of the European Championship, which will be held in Romania and Georgia, from June 21 to July 8.
Portugal He plays in Group A with Georgia, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Under-21 teams:A goal keeper: Silton Payai (Vitoria SC), Gonzalo Tapuaso (SAD B) and Samuel Soares (Benfica);Defenses: Alexandre Pinetra (Famalica), Andre Amaro (Vitoria SC), Leonardo Lillo (Casa Pia), Nuno Tavares (Marseille), Pedro Malhero (Boavista FC), Tomás Esteves (Pisa 1909), Tomás Araujo (Gil Vicente);mode: Afonso Suzanne (Lech Poznań), Daniel Silva (Vitoria SC), David Costa (Lens), Andre Almeida (Valencia), Fabio Vieira (Arsenal), Paulo Bernardo (Pacos de Ferreira), Samuel Costa (Almeria), Thiago Dantas (PAOK);advanced: Fabio Silva (PSV), Francisco Conceicao (Ajax), Henrique Araujo (Watford), Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton) and Vitor Oliveira (Marseille).
Melody Gross is a contributor at Brytfmonline.com, covering a wide range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is committed to delivering clear, accurate, and reader-focused reporting that helps audiences stay informed about current events and important developments. With a focus on useful information and balanced storytelling, Melody aims to present timely stories and relevant insights in a way that is accessible, engaging, and easy to understand.