Renato Sanches may not have enjoyed the best of debut seasons at Bayern Munich over the past year, but the former Benfica youngster today proved why the German champions were willing to part with so much money for his services, just over a year ago.
Sanches started on the bench for Portugal u21s European Championship clash against Serbia at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium, Bydgoszcz, Poland, this afternoon but made his presence felt when he entered the fray in the second half.
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The fact that Sanches wasn't starting the match seemed indicative of how much his stock seems to have dropped since he moved to Bayern. A year ago he was scoring for Portugal's senior team during their victorious Euro 2016 campaign, having just enjoyed winning a domestic double with Benfica.
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However, having made just 25 appearances under Carlo Ancelotti during the 2016/17 campaign, Sanches' starting place for the U21s is no longer guaranteed and he had to watch his teammates from the bench for the majority of their 2-0 victory over Serbia, this afternoon.
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When called upon by Rui Jorge, Sanches immediately sprung into action, toying with two Serbian players just outside the 18-yard box before dinking a sumptuous through ball between the entire Serb defence and into the path of a grateful Bruno Fernandes, who coolly dispatched to secure all three points for the Portuguese youngsters.
Given that Bayern have also just added Lyon's highly rated Corentin Tolisso to their ranks, Sanches' time in Munich may already be up.
He could prove to be a quality signing for someone, this summer.
Featured Image Credit: Sky SportsTopics: Football, Renato Sanches
