João Félix has not played for Atlético Madrid since January 8. Sitting on the bench, the Portuguese forward watched on as Atlético’s summer tour came to an end against Sevilla this weekend.
The 23-year-old has not played a single minute of any of Atlético’s preseason games due to muscular discomfort and is not in the club’s plans for the 2023-24 season.
He is the only one of the 26 players in the squad who has travelled over 30,000 kilometres to play that hasn’t played. He was absent for the friendlies against the K-League all-star team, a 3-2 defeat for Atlético. He also missed the game against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, which ended in a 2-1 win for Simeone’s side. Atlético played out a 0-0 draw with Real Sociedad and finished with a 1-1 draw against Sevilla.
Atlético’s La Liga opener is at home to newly-promoted Granada on August 14 although João Félix is not expected to feature at the Metropolitano. There is less than a month left until the end of the transfer window and he is still looking for a new club for next season.
Kieran Quaile | GSFN
