José Luiz Runco defined the physical condition of midfielder De la Cruz, who has been absent from Flamengo, as “irreparable”.
Flamengo’s medical chief, José Luiz Runco, criticized midfielder Nico De la Cruz’s condition, which he described as “irreparable.” The statement was made in a WhatsApp group that includes prominent figures in Flamengo’s political scene, according to ge.
De la Cruz has been missing several Flamengo matches throughout the year, including the derby against Fluminense this Sunday (July 20th), which Flamengo won 1-0. The Uruguayan’s absence from the match in the 15th round of the Brazilian Championship prompted a question from one of the group members to Runco.
The response was as follows: “Dear João, Good afternoon. I’ll try to explain De la Cruz’s situation. He was acquired under a previous administration, but he’s in no condition to do so, as he has a chronic and irreparable injury to his right knee and another injury to his left knee. Being bipedal, we have difficulty with balance and muscle balance if any of the limbs are already affected. We’re trying to do everything possible to allow him to participate, but it’s very complicated. And as for a sale, we’ll only do so if there’s a club interested for reasons other than playing competitive football. Best regards.”
As mentioned by Runco, De la Cruz was signed by Flamengo in 2024, still under Rodolfo Landim’s administration – currently, the Flamengo presidency is held by Luiz Eduardo Baptista. To date, he has appeared in 61 games, 54 of which he started.
This year, he appeared in 20 of Flamengo’s 42 games. To sign him, Flamengo spent R$102 million, including a release clause (De la Cruz played for River Plate), bonuses, and intermediary fees. In a statement, Flamengo stated that it will not comment on statements shared in private and personal conversations.
