Idman.biz
Former Portuguese national team player Manuel Fernandes, who played for famous clubs such as Benfica in his country, Everton in England, Valencia in Spain, and Besiktas in Turkey during his career, spoke about the work of his compatriot and former head coach Fernando Santos in the Azerbaijani national team and his own future plans.
Idman.biz reports that the veteran midfielder told AZERTAC in an interview that he believes in the 70-year-old specialist: "To be honest, I have not watched the matches of the Azerbaijani national team under the leadership of Fernando Santos. But he won trophies with the Portuguese national team. It is Santos' international experience that can benefit the Azerbaijani team. I hope that there will be successful results in the future."
The 39-year-old former player also touched upon the small number of Azerbaijani players in European clubs: "It is very important for players to live the life of a legionnaire in order to form a competitive national team. When you face strong teams and players, you gain experience. For this, more players should go to foreign leagues."
Fernandes emphasized that he does not want to return to football: "I have no intention of working as a coach. I have won titles during my career. I am happy with that. I am currently studying management at a university in my country. I have big plans for that."
It should be noted that Manuel Fernandes played 15 games for the Portuguese national team and scored 3 goals. He also participated in the 2018 World Cup held in Russia.
Idman.biz
