Now, with Ronaldinho away on international duty with the Seleção, Diego Maurício will have another big opportunity to state a first-team claim in this weekend’s derby with bitter rivals Fluminense.
“Ronaldinho is irreplaceable, our ‘craque’,” said Diego Maurício in a Globo interview. “We know he is hard to replace, but I will get to show my work on the pitch.
“He talked to me after the game in São Paulo and told me I need to take this opportunity. He gives me support and trust me.”
Speaking of Diego Maurício, Maldonado had praised the youngster heavily in the week, but also pointed to some clear problems in the player’s development.
“Diego is top quality. He is strong, fast, and has all the attributes to be a stand-out player of Brazilian football,” said the experienced Chilean.
“But, sometimes it seems that he has not lived up to expectations, he goes missing.
“But, he is young. We need to get him to focus more on the game and he could be very important to us.
