The father of Pedro Neto has reacted to the news that the Wolves winger has made it into the Portugal Euro 2024 squad.
Neto, 24, received brilliant news on Tuesday as Roberto Martinez announced his squad for the upcoming tournament in Germany.
Neto’s Wolves teammates Jose Sa and Nelson Semedo have also been called up. But sadly, there was no place for defender Toti Gomes, despite his solid season.
Former Wolves captain Ruben Neves got the nod, but Matheus Nunes missed out having struggled for regular minutes after leaving Molineux to join Manchester City.
For Neto, it is a fantastic moment, because he missed out on selection for Euro 2020 after sustaining a fractured patella. He then couldn’t go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because he’d suffered an ankle injury.
Wolves fans are delighted for the winger, as is his father…
Pedro Neto’s father reacts as Wolves winger gets into Portugal Euro 2024 squad
This will be a great opportunity for Neto to show what he can do on a big stage.
He was brilliant in 2023/24 for Wolves, but was sadly limited to just 24 appearances across all competitions due to suffering two hamstring injuries.
Neto’s second injury put him on the sidelines for around two months. With Euro 2024 taking place this summer, the situation was far from ideal for Neto, who was desperate to make the final squad.
The player’s father has given his reaction to the news that his son has made it in, admitting that they both feared he’d be overlooked due to his injury problems. He said (via O Jogo): “We’ve already spoken… Hope is always the last to die. Of course, we had some doubts, not least because he wasn’t 100 percent physically at this stage.
“Whenever this type of event came up he was unlucky, due to injuries, but fortunately now it went well. He is a humble player, who always gives his best and certainly this call will keep him with his feet on the ground.”
A relief for Neto – he deserves his chance
Neto was probably very concerned that history would repeat itself leading up to the Portugal Euro 2024 squad announcement.
He is fit now and obviously made his return against Liverpool in the final game. But he missed two months, and another two months earlier in the campaign.
Given Portugal have a plethora of top players, it was very possible he could have missed out.
But thankfully, Martinez has put his faith in the Wolves man, and we will get to see him this summer playing for his country in Germany. He may not start games, but you would think Martinez will turn to him at various points.
Neto deserves his call-up. He was so unfortunate to miss out on the last two major tournaments because of injury, so fair play to Martinez for giving him a chance.