Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa’s representative denies Benfica are trying to interrupt his loan and send him back to Inter. “It is absolutely false.”
The striker didn’t get a single Serie A start during his season at San Siro and things haven’t improved much in Portugal.
Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa’s representative denies Benfica are trying to interrupt his loan and send him back to Inter. “It is absolutely false.”
The striker didn’t get a single Serie A start during his season at San Siro and things haven’t improved much in Portugal.
So far he has made three appearances for a total 89 minutes of football, but after Portuguese TV showed footage of him in an apparent training ground brawl with teammates, Brazilian media reported Benfica were eager to abandon the season-long loan early because of his inability to understand tactics or defending.
“It is absolutely false to say there is this type of problem between the player and his Coach or his teammates,” lawyer and intermediary Marco Correia de Oliveira told FCInter1908.it.
“Gabigol is very happy at Benfica. Obviously, it is a new team, a different environment and it’ll take a little time to get to know his new teammates and style of football.
“The team is generally not going through a good period of form either. He is happy at Benfica, Benfica are happy with him and nobody expects him to start playing straight away.
“He has already made three appearances and the one start he had in the League Cup saw him score a goal that was unfairly disallowed.
“It is absolutely false to say Benfica are disappointed and want to send him back, while he doesn’t want to go anywhere else either.
“Obviously, he hopes to get more playing time, as is normal for all players, but he is satisfied with the club and the club is satisfied with him.
“The facts speak for themselves, as since he arrived in Portugal, he has been in the squad for every match, even if he only started one.”