Opportunities. After several months of inactivity due to the pandemic, the lower categories of the Peruvian national team have begun to intensify their work with a view to international competitions. One of the categories that generates the most expectation among fans is the U-20 team led by Gustavo Roverano.
The Uruguayan coach has been conducting a series of microcycles and in his last call-up there was one name that caught everyone's attention. Usually, the majority of the players called up belong to professional clubs; however, on this occasion the coach decided to call up an unknown player: Aldhy Valencia Zamudio.
Aldhy Valencia was called up for the U-20 team for the first time. Photo: Sentimiento Verdeblanco/Twitter
The young goalkeeper, belonging to the 2004 category, plays for Las Palmas de Chota and is currently participating in the departmental stage of Cajamarca in the Peruvian Cup 2022. At a young age, the goalkeeper born in Jaén also wore the jerseys of UTC, Universidad César Vallejo, and Comerciantes Unidos.
Las Palmas de Chota is participating in the departmental stage of the Peruvian Cup. Photo: Las Palmas de Chota/Twitter
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How was Aldhy Valencia's call-up made?
Facing the surprise of the goalkeeper's call-up, the national team coach explained the reason for his decision. "We had been following him since his time at UTC. We watched some games and heard about him. We decided to give him a chance. That's what football is all about. He's a young player from the province and he's been working well. We're going to give him an opportunity," said the coach in an interview with Palco Vip Noticias.
The coach also made it clear that Valencia's presence in the microcycle is not a guarantee of anything. The Uruguayan hopes that this experience - working at the highest level with professionals from different areas - will help him in his learning process.
Listen HERE to Gustavo Roverano's statements
"This doesn't mean anything in terms of the fact that the South American Championship is in January and many kids are competing. We have been rotating players during the microcycles, even though we have a solid group, but we are trying to give new players a chance," he emphasized.