Team-mates at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho are also used to play alongside each other for the Portugal national team.
The two know each other very well, and have been key to Wolves’ successes in the Premier League over the years, but this international break will see them having to make do with some time apart.
That’s because Fernando Santos decided to leave out Moutinho from his squad, despite the veteran being fully fit, choosing to call up other players instead.
This won’t bode well for the Wolves man’s chances of making the World Cup in Qatar, and it’s clear that Neves also would have liked to have his club teammate alongside him.
He said: “We know that we have to work at our best to be present in the national team. Joao has done a fantastic job, but we also know that we have a huge range of great players who can be here. It’s a decision that the manager has to take, and we all have to respect it.
“We are a very lucky team in that aspect. We have players around the world who can clearly play a good role in the national team. It was the decision the manager took, and it has to be respected.”
Despite being 36 and in the final year of his contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Moutinho continues to be central to Bruno Lage’s team, appearing in all five Premier League games he has been fit for to date this season.
