Gil Vicente return to training without seven players on international duty
Gil Vicente resume training with seven players absent on national team call-ups. Manager Luís Pinto faces selection issues ahead of upcoming matches.
Gil Vicente will miss seven first-team players for training this week as they join their national teams.
Manager Luís Pinto faces a lean session with Buatu, Jose Silva, Gil Martins and Bascco Soyer away on international call-ups for Angola, Portugal’s under-21 side, the under-20s and Peru respectively.
Pinto may bring in players from the under-21 squad to fill the gaps while the senior side is away. The club has other commitments to manage as well. Nayan Campos is with Luxembourg’s under-21s, Gibril Bayoumi is with Morocco’s under-20s and Vanja Lazovic has been called up to Serbia’s under-19 team.
The situation is not unusual for a club that sends players out. Silva, a 21-year-old defender, is one of several young talents Portugal have been tracking. Angola sit third in their Africa Cup of Nations group after three matches, while Portugal are second in their World Cup qualifying campaign with five points.
The team will be back in Lisbon shortly. Pinto will have to decide who stays and who goes again when they return.
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