Estevao is among the subs again today after a difficult week for the Brazilian. Against Arsenal and Leeds he was in the starting XI but found himself hooked at half-time on both occasions – perhaps lucky to avoid a red card for his very cynical challenge at Elland Road midweek.
There is no doubt the Brazilian is a future superstar, demonstrating that potential against Barcelona last week. But Maresca this week underlined the need to keep carefully managing him as he gets to grips with English football.
My comment is because he is 18, he is from Brazil, and he probably didn’t know [what to expect from] where we were going to play,’
‘The English players know Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, these stadiums that are a bit different compared to the rest in terms of the environment. So this is something that will be a process for him to be better and better.
‘It’s why I’ve said many times that with him, it’s too easy to put him on the pitch and let him play, play, play. In some moments, we have to manage him a little bit.’
