Despite his slow start to life in the Italian capital, Maurizio Sarri still believes Marcos Antonio can be a strong asset for Lazio.
The 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder signed a five-year contract with the Biancocelesti last summer after joining from Shakhtar Donetsk in a deal worth around €7.5m.
After his first six months in Rome, Marcos Antonio has only made three Serie A starts and struggled to look convincing in the Lazio midfield, leading to the emergence of some doubts amongst supporters.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via LazioNews24), the hope was that Marcos Antonio would be joining a Lazio midfield that also contained Ivan Ilic, a player who would’ve allowed the Brazilian to shine in a three-man system.
Because Ilic did not arrive, the 22-year-old has struggled to show his best alongside other players like Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. It’s clear that the Brazilian has the talents to impress but his slow adaption has caused some to question his future in Rome.
Despite this, Sarri still believes that Marcos Antonio can be an important player for Lazio and will look to deploy him in the Europa Conference League, hoping the extra minutes can help him find his footing a little.
