“There is little chance that the player will return to the lawns before the end of January”, indicated this same source about the player of Paris SG. The Portuguese Federation confirmed for its part that the left side suffered from an injury to left thigh and had been deemed “unavailable to participate in national team activities” by the Federal Medical Service. Nuno Mendes, 20, will however remain “in the national delegation where he will begin the work of recovery”, added the Portuguese federation in a press release.
Nuno Mendes withdrew from Portugal’s first match against Ghana (3-2) due to muscle fatigue. Back against Uruguay, he left just before half-time, in tears, replaced by Raphaël Guerreiro. Portugal has already qualified for the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup and only needs one point in its last group stage match against South Korea on Friday to secure first place in the group.