Steve Davis has said he is sure Joao Moutinho will be disappointed not to have been called up by Portugal for the World Cup.
The 36-year-old midfielder was overlooked by Fernando Santos for the tournament, which gets underway next weekend in Qatar.
Portugal have a very talented pool of players to choose from.
And Moutinho has paid the price for lacking influence for Wolves in recent times.
The former AS Monaco maestro has let games pass him by this season, and has been way below the level of his fellow countryman Ruben Neves, who will be going to Qatar. Wolves’ other Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes will also be going.
Davis said of Moutinho in his press conference ahead of the game with Arsenal (via AS): “I haven’t spoken to him about it, he’s very focused on tomorrow’s game plan against Arsenal.
“He’s very professional and knows that’s important to him. He will surely reflect on not being summoned and will be disappointed with Cristiano’s call at that age. The coach has to think about the balance of the squad. It’s important for any coach, so maybe that influenced the decision.”
Back in September, Moutinho was not called up by Santos for the Nations League games against Czech Republic and Spain.
That suggested he had work to do with Wolves in order to get back into contention.
But unfortunately, Moutinho’s form just hasn’t really been good enough since then, with Wolves struggling as a collective.
Joao Moutinho’s snub by Portugal is both surprising and unsurprising
It is a real shame Moutinho just didn’t quite have the form leading up to Santos’ final decision.
He’s been a wonderful servant for his country, earning 146 caps for his country so far.
Moutinho has undoubtedly struggled this season and from a performance perspective, it’s not all that surprising that he’s missed out.
But that said, Moutinho is a vastly experienced player.
He has been to five major tournaments with Portugal, and has a wealth of tournament experience.
So it is a surprise that Santos didn’t pick him purely for his experience and leadership.