Former Wolves loanee Francisco Trincao is struggling to rediscover his old form at Sporting Lisbon with O Jogo reporting that the Portuguese giants are concerned about the one-time Premier League winger.
After difficult spells at the Camp Nou and Molineux, the Portugal international returned to his Iberian home over the summer in an attempt to rediscover the magic that once had Barcelona stumping up £26 million.
Trincao has just four goals in 19 league games during his second spell at Sporting. What’s more, he’s begun on the bench during each of the last two top-flight outings.
And Ricardo Gomes, who once worked as a sports physiologist at Sporting, believes Trincao’s struggles are partly the result of the sky-high standards he set during his pre-Barca days at Braga.
Francisco Trincao is back at Sporting Lisbon after Wolves stint
“The player created very high expectations,” Gomes explains. “I thought the coach (Ruben Amorim) could be patient with him and give him chances. (But) Trincao has to reset his expectations. He has to lessen the burden that has been imposed (upon him).
“Every time he plays, he wants to show his talent and just the opposite happens. He tenses up, stress increases, and his performance worsens.
“He likes to go one on one, finish chances. It is very important for him to score goals. But there has to be confidence to shoot from distance. All this affects a player whose attribute is his fine skills.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, there is a £9 million purchase clause in Trincao’s contract. Barcelona, then, looks set to make another massive loss on a player who failed to live up to his eye-watering price-tag in Catalonia.
Trincao, in his defence, started impressively after returning to Portugal over the summer. He was the Primeira Liga’s Young Player of the Month in December and class, as they say, is permanent.
Sporting will be hoping that Trincao’s current form, therefore, is merely temporary.
“Trincao is an incredible player, with lots of character and remarkable quality,” former Braga team-mate Abel Ruiz told PortuGoal.
“He’s a great dribbler, he can go past his man either side; on the right, on the left. And he’s very good at shooting. He’s a very complete player. I’d say he’s similar to (Lionel) Messi.”
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