Manchester United-linked Ederson had a peculiar summer, and his World Cup experience was just part of it.
Ederson was on holiday in Brazil when Manchester United negotiated a fee to buy him from from Atalanta.
Instead of flying to Manchester to complete his move, Ederson was suddenly called up to the Brazil squad as a late injury replacement.
Ederson replaced right-back Wesley, with Carlo Ancelotti deciding he preferred to pick another midfielder instead of another full-back.
Now with Brazil eliminated, there are questions being asked about Carlo Ancelotti’s choices.
Did you learn anything from Matheus Cunha’s performances for Brazil at the World Cup?
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Romario calls out Ederson pick
Brazil legend Romario has expressed bemusement at Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to pick Ederson and play him out of position against Norway.
Speaking to his YouTube channel Romario TV, he blasted: “He took off Bruno Guimaraes and brought on Ederson to do what? I’d like to understand what the hell he wanted to do at that moment. We don’t have a full-back because he didn’t call one up.
“There was a full-back, he got injured, and he called up a central defender. He called up Wesley, he got injured, and he should have brought another. I know there are no full-backs, but there’s definitely someone better than Ederson to play on the wing.”
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United fans were puzzled and frustrated by Ederson usage
Manchester United fans were hoping to see a proper glimpse of Ederson at the World Cup and get excited about what he could bring to the team.
Instead what we saw simply was not worth watching.
There was nothing to learn from Ederson’s brief stint for Brazil, because of the way he was utilised out of position.
This has only served to add to the tension among the United fanbase that are nervous about his acquisition, with uncertainty about his medical situation.
Is this a player fans should be desperate to sign? The answer based on his World Cup cameos is ‘no’. But that is also an entirely unfair basis to judge him on.
It did the player no favours, and as Romario points out, Ancelotti did Brazil no favours.
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