Nottingham Forest star Keylor Navas is right to miss this international break with Costa Rica as he should only be used for “important moments”.
That’s according to former Costa Rica coach Rónald González, who has defended the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper to Tigo Sports, relayed by AM Prensa.
Navas is not a part of the Costa Rica squad for this international break, with current manager Luis Fernando Suárez recently explaining that he had left the veteran out so he could look at younger players.
The decision appeared to be one made with an eye to the future, with Navas now 36-years-old and very much in the latter stages of his career.
His absence has not gone down well in some quarters, though, with some claims that the veteran simply didn’t want to play against the likes of Martinique and Panama.
That was certainly the opinion of journalist José Miguel Domínguez earlier this week, who criticised the Nottingham Forest star and insisted he needed to show more humility.
His comments were very much a personal attack on the veteran, in which he claimed the goalkeeper considered himself as the ‘Superman of Europe’ who lived on a ‘Dragon Ball-Z cloud’.
González is having none of that, though, defending the player who he worked alongside during his time as Costa Rica coach.
“Keylor is the goalkeeper of the national team,” he said.
“He only appears in the best moments and the sporting situations that he has always handled must be understood, understood and discussed with him.
“Everything has to do a lot with the mentality and model of the coach, which is what he wants to do.
“Keylor is only called upon for important moments, he is at a higher level than all of us, especially in big events, big stage that is where he counts the most and he knows very well what his reality is.
“He is an experienced player and he has nothing to prove.”
