Main objective for the next 3 weeks of Ricardo Gareca is to overcome the last obstacle that separates him from the historic pass to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. However, the process of monitoring, selection, and consolidation work of players to expand the pool of selectable players for the Peruvian national team continues on track, and a clear example of this is the special attention that the Argentine coach gives to Leonel Valencia, the left-back of Cantolao, who was among the options for the playoff matches, surprising many.
WRITTEN BY: JOSÉ BRAGAYRAC
But just as the appearance of Leonel Valencia in the future possibilities range of the Peruvian national team surprises, there are other players who are being worked with as part of an ongoing process aimed at renewing the Peruvian national team in the coming years.
Players with potential
In this direction, there are players who have already played minutes in these qualifiers with the Peruvian national team, but due to their age, they are still in an important consolidation process. One of them is Luis Abram, the central defender of Sporting Cristal, who, at 21 years old, played 17 minutes in the path to Russia 2018.
Beto Da Silva, at 20, is one of the great attacking promises for the Peruvian national team. Having overcome his injuries, the young former Sporting Cristal player has started to accumulate minutes at Gremio in Brazil and has already been called up in this qualifying process.
At 22 years old, Ray Sandoval is a future attacking option. The forward of Sporting Cristal has been considered but has not played any minutes. His name may become consolidated in the next two years. Another player with a promising present who could take off soon is Nilson Loyola, the defender from Melgar, who at 22 years old is an undisputed starter in his club and a protagonist thanks to his frequent offensive presence.
In the consolidation process
At 23 years old, another young and very interesting player appears, José Manzaneda from Cantolao. Although he did not play any minutes in the qualifiers, he is considered a player with potential for the Peruvian national team, just like Wilder Cartagena, a 23-year-old midfielder who has already played minutes against world-class opponents such as Argentina in La Bombonera and Ecuador in Quito. So far, with a positive response.
Young players and figures in the national team
It is worth noting that in this age range, Renato Tapia (22 years old), Edison Flores (23 years old), and Pedro Aquino (22 years old) stand out as prominent figures in the Peruvian national team.
Guerrero's amazing goal against Colombia
Check out Edison Flores' goal against Paraguay
Peruvian national team: Falcao praised Paolo Guerrero's goal-scoring ability https://t.co/hQcHil9dBH pic.twitter.com/MrGI00P397
— Diario El Bocón (@elbocononline) March 23, 2017