Marcos Leonardo is experiencing a good moment for Santos in this final stretch of the Brazilian Championship.
After 15 matches without taking the field, the striker had the opportunity again after Diego Tardellli suffered a swelling in his thigh during the match against Fortaleza. And the shirt 36 did not disappoint, scoring two goals and guaranteeing the victory that practically eliminated the risk of Peixe being relegated.
The veteran's absence and the goals made coach Fábio Carille maintain his bet on Marcos Leonardo, who, as a starter, returned to the net in the draw against Internacional. Now, against Flamengo, the young striker will have the chance to act as a starter in two consecutive matches. Interestingly, this occurs after a shift by Brasileirão.
The last time Marcos Leonardo started playing for two games in a row was also in the sequence against Internacional and Flamengo, still under the command of Fernando Diniz. After Peixe was defeated by Rubro-Negro by 4-0, shirt 36 lost space to Léo Baptistão.
He even entered the final minutes of the clash against Cuiabá, in the next round. However, after this match, he did not return to the field until the match against Fortaleza.
In ten games of Santos in this return of the Brazilian championship, the striker was not even related by Carille. After the tie against Inter, the coach justified that the young man was out due to several calls for youth teams in Brazil.
– Marcos had been training very well. He's had three summons since I arrived, if I'm not mistaken. As he was always called to the national team, we had to be careful to put whoever was playing in the day to day.
While Marcos Leonardo is highlighted, the Santos board races against time to try to renew the athlete's contract, which expires in October 2022. The directors seek to prevent the club from losing another young talent, as happened with Yuri Alberto and Kaio Jorge.
The main obstacle is the amount of the player's contractual fine. Santos, worried about the natural harassment from abroad, wants a bigger fine than the fatigue that takes care of Marcos Leonardo's career wants. The ge heard, however, that this should not hinder a positive outcome of the negotiations.
This season, Marcos Leonardo has 39 games and six goals.