Arsenal loanee returns to action after a month break | OneFootball

Arsenal loanee Marquinhos returned to action on Saturday after a month-long break with Cruzeiro, but he remains a substitute option for the team as it stands.

Photos via @pedrovalefoto and @yurilaurindofoto on Instagram

Arsenal loanee Marquinhos made a positive start to his loan spell with Cruzeiro in January and February, making five starts and three substitute appearances in the eight-game group stages of the Campeonato Mineiro.

But there were early signs of the player falling out of favour towards the end of the competition. His last two starts both came in defeats, and he was then named on the bench for both legs of the subsequent semi-final tie against America-MG.

With Cruzeiro losing the tie on penalties, there was no final appearance for the team. They’ve since had over a month out of competitive action waiting for the Brazilian Serie A to start up.

Photos via @pedrovalefoto and @yurilaurindofoto on Instagram

That finally happened on Saturday, with Cruzeiro hosting Mirassol-SP in their Serie A opener. But once again, Marquinhos was initially named on the bench.

In many ways, it was still a positive day. Cruzeiro won the match 2-1, and Marquinhos at least came off the bench for the last seven minutes.

Yet it seems Marquinhos didn’t manage to convince Cruzeiro boss Leonardo Jardim to make him a starter over the break. He still has work to do on that front.

Photo via Marquinhos on Instagram

It’s early days for Marquinhos at Cruzeiro, so there’s no need to panic yet. The winger is on a year-long loan lasting until the end of 2025.

But the story of Marquinhos’ loan spells so far has been an early run in the team followed by dropping out of the lineup for the remainder of his loan. That’s what happened at Fluminense, and at Nantes where his loan was terminated early.

Even in his short spell at Norwich City, where he started relatively consistently for a couple of months, he dropped out of the squad for two of the last three games of the season.

The 21-year-old is at danger of drifting through another year, so he needs to win his spot back sooner rather than later.