Fabio Carvalho has been criticised by Portugal under-21s manager Rui Jorge after communicating his desire to no longer represent the team via text message.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed on Tuesday the Liverpool midfielder had taken this decision, having first been called for the U21s back in March. Born in Lisbon, Carvalho played for England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level and has opened the door to a potential Three Lions return after his recent U-turn.
Carvalho was included in Portugal's 55-man preliminary Portugal squad for the upcoming World Cup but failed to make Fernando Santos' final 26-man shortlist for the tournament in Qatar. party. He was instead included in the U21 squad for their friendlies against Czech Republic and Japan.
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Speaking out for the first time against the 20-year-old for the manner in which he delivered the news of his withdrawal, Portugal's U21s boss told reporters: "I got disappointed by the way it went."
Jorge continued: “The fact that Fabio sent me a message, on Saturday night, saying that he didn’t want to continue in the under-21s and that he had been thinking and didn’t want to continue in the under-21s because it no longer brought him any benefit. For now, it’s a message. My answer was: ‘So, Fabio, not even a phone call?’. And the disappointment was precisely there.
“After my message, I thought Fabio would pick up the phone, call me and speak. That’s what I always conveyed to them, that they could talk to me about these matters. I make a point of telling all players when they come with us. I only want people in this space who really want to be here.”
Despite being left frustrated by the actions of the Fulham academy graduate, Jorge wished the midfielder well for the future for whatever route he chooses to take next.,
He added: “Fabio, it should be noted that while he was with us, always behaved exemplary at all levels. What he brought to our game too, his relationship with our staff was impeccable, on our part towards him the same thing. He was treated with affection and respect that we all deserve, everything went very well. That’s why I was surprised.
“He will have his reasons and, of course, he will explain them better in the future. We all loved Fabio a lot. We liked him and continue to like him. I take the opportunity to wish him all the luck in the world in his career, because he has always been an exceptional kid with us.”
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