Brazil coach Dunga has not closed the door on Maicon’s international career, Globo Esporte has revealed.
The 33-year-old AS Roma defender was sent home from the Seleção squad in the USA on Sunday, after arriving at the team’s hotel 11 hours late.
The boss spoke of the controversy for the first time following Brazil’s 1-0 win over Ecuador in New Jersey last night. Chelsea midfielder Willian scored the only goal of the game after half an hour.
Speaking about his decision to axe Maicon, Dunga explained: “It hurt me as a coach, as a player, to take away the chance of the Seleção for an athlete.
“Sometimes, things happen and life gives us some answers. The doors are not closed for any player.”
After the friendly, which kept in tact his 100% start to his second spell in charge, Dunga also spoke of the performance from his star man, Neymar, across the two games.
“He is a highly competitive player, he wants to win. When you take charge of a team or a sector at work you need to identify in each individual the way they are.”
However, the manager also admitted that, at present, he has few options for the national team and he is selecting players from a shallow talent pool.
“We have young players who play in Europe. But in some positions, the players are not confirmed,” he said.
