Man City star misses out on Euro 2024 after controversial transfer

Matheus Nunes has been left out of the Portugal squad for Euro 2024 over a lack of minutes.

Nunes has been involved with his national team for close to four years and played in the most recent games, scoring in a 5-2 win over Sweden in March. However, the Manchester City midfielder has not made the cut for the summer tournament with Al Hilal's Ruben Neves preferred instead.

Speaking about the decision, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez admitted that Nunes had shown what he could offer but wanted players with more minutes and form under their belt. Nunes struggled to establish himself at the Etihad this year and has only started one of the last 15 games of the season.

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"Here, we are representing the work of almost 18 months," said Martinez. "Ruben Neves and Otavio in that period, as well as Matheus Nunes, showed what they can bring to the Selecao.

"The level of competition is not a problem, it’s more a question of the number of minutes, games (played), form and role in the team. For us, Otavio and Ruben are at an important level for our dressing room.”

Nunes angered Wolves fans when he controversially went on strike last summer in order to push through a move to City as the Blues turned to him following previous interest in Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta. The 25-year-old has had some bright moments in his first season under Pep Guardiola but has not been consistent enough to play regularly and has now lost his spot at the European Championship.