Brazilian coach Dorival Júnior stated on Thursday that young forward Endrick is capable of being a starter for the Canarinha, despite his limited involvement at the start of the European season with Real Madrid.

"Endrick, despite not being a starter in one of the best teams in world football, has the credentials to be in the squad and play 90 minutes," Dorival said in a press conference before the match against Ecuador in the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The coach assured that, at this moment, it is not relevant whether a player has played 90 or 100 minutes with their club, as "most are in the early stages of the season."

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In this regard, he defended that younger players, like Estevão, Luiz Henrique, and Endrick himself, have "the experience and conditions" to play 90 minutes with the senior team.

However, he called for "patience" and not to set expectations too high due to their young age.

"They have tremendous potential and a lot is expected from them," but "we need to remain calm," as "they come from their clubs and arrive at the national team with a great responsibility due to the current situation in the standings," he explained.

Brazil will face Ecuador on Friday at the Couto Pereira Stadium in Curitiba, where Dorival is expected to field an attacking trio with Real Madrid players Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo Goes, and Endrick.

Four days later, they will face Paraguay at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium in Asunción.

Currently, the Canarinha is in sixth place in the qualifiers with a poor record of two wins, one draw, and three losses, far behind Argentina, the leader with 15 points.

Additionally, Brazil comes off another disappointment after falling to Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa América in the United States.