Carril’s confidence and Joaquim’s injury: Why the key gem will make his Santos debut | Saints

One of the most promising young talents of recent times, defender Jair Cunha is expected to win his first series of victories at Santos. Starting with the win over Chapecoense, the 19-year-old defender is expected to remain in the squad for the clash against Ceara, in round 14 of the Brazilian second division.

The two teams face each other on Friday, at 7 p.m. (Brasilia time), at Castelão, in Fortaleza. Jair will form a defensive pairing alongside the veteran Gil. There are two points in favor of the defender: the first is the confidence of coach Fabio Carril, and the second is the injury of Joaquim, who has been a starter almost all season.

Santos fans have high expectations for the player, who has asked for more space for Jair at Santos. But the Peixe coach has been cautious due to a serious injury the defender sustained in early 2023.

Jair still competed in the São Paulo Junior Football Cup that year, where he suffered a complete anterior cruciate ligament injury as well as a meniscus injury in his right knee. He recovered last year, playing only a few minutes in matches against Goiás and Fortaleza.

To be used by the professionals, Jair Cunha underwent muscle strengthening and physical rehabilitation. To get into the rhythm of the game, the defender was sent to the under-20 team, which drew criticism from Santos fans. After the match against Chapecoense, Carril spoke about the defender’s situation.

– He was trained well. There was a lot of talk when Jair went to the under-20s and was demoted. We listened a lot and stayed calm. If you look at Jair’s history, there were two cruciate ligament injuries. In January 2023 he had one. In addition to helping the under-20s, it was important for him to get minutes to play. His start in the under-20s was not great. I watched all the games against America MG there, that’s normal.

– A guy who has been out of rhythm and has had a cruciate ligament injury since last year. He had strengthening work in January and February, where I used him very little in Paulista. In the last games in the U20s he has done very well. I was talking with Rodrygo, Gustavo and Orlando at the base and talking about this growth.

Carril has already praised Jair Cunha on several occasions. In addition to his defensive qualities, the coach sees the defender as having a qualified match record, which can also help the team when setting up play.

Joaquim, a direct contender for the position, suffered a slight sprain in his left knee in training last Wednesday and was cut short of the trip to Fortaleza. The injury opens up space for Jair to get a fill-in.

Joachim has started 27 games this season, scoring three goals. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the defender will be traded in the next transfer window. Thus, Jair would be the natural replacement for his teammate.

In April of this year, Jair Cunha’s contract was extended from June 2025 to December 2026, with a fine of €70 million (R$419.4 million at current prices) and he received a significant salary increase. The new contract was negotiated directly with president Marcelo Teixeira.