Despite having James Rodríguez and other figures in midfield, Sao Paulo presented two new players to give the Colombian footballer more competition. And these are Luiz Gustavo and Erick, who, despite having trained for days at the Brazilian club, had not had their presentation.
1️⃣6️⃣ 🤝3️⃣3️⃣
Luiz Gustavo and Erick are presented in the press group at this second fair!#VamosSão Paulo 🇾🇪 pic.twitter.com/TdDqL0YMbe
— Sao Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) January 22, 2024
Luiz Gustavo, a 36-year-old defensive midfielder, represented the Brazilian national team and wore the shirt of Fenerbahce, Bayern Munich, Marseille and Al-Nassr, among others.
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And Erick joined as a free agent after terminating his contract with Ceará, also from Brasileirao. He can play as a right winger or midfielder.
Thus, James will face more competition in Sao Paulo and has not yet made his debut in 2024 while he continues his physical preparation plan, which made him absent from the 3-1 victory of the ‘Tricolor’ against Santo André, corresponding to the first day of the Paulista Championship.
Furthermore, he has not been called up for next Tuesday’s match against Mirassol and he is not registered in the Paulista Championship. However, his coach, Thiago Carpini, explained the situation: “It was completely normal, not only James, but also Michel (Araujo) was not registered, Rafinha was not registered, in short, it does not mean that they are not (in van the club). As for the registration, that’s all, we don’t have the urgency, since they are not yet within the physical capabilities, within what we have programmed here in São Paulo for each of the athletes, so that they act safely. I think this is the most important thing.’
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Source: El heraldo

I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.