RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Brazil manager Dorival Junior said on Thursday that teenager Endrick is ready to start for the Selecao despite his limited playing time with Real Madrid this season.
Endrick is expected to feature from the outset in Brazil's home World Cup qualifier against Ecuador on Friday after striker Pedro suffered a serious knee injury while training on Wednesday.
"Endrick, without being a starter for one of the best teams in world football, has what it takes to play a full 90 minutes for Brazil," Dorival told a news conference ahead of Friday's clash in the southern city of Curitiba.
Endrick has played just nine minutes in Real Madrid's first four games of the La Liga season, scoring in a 3-0 home win over Real Valladolid.
He has only made one start in 10 appearances for Brazil.
Despite backing the 18-year-old, Dorival did not confirm if the forward would start at Couto Pereira Stadium.
"We still have to finalize one or two [positions]," he said. "It will basically be the team that we worked with in training yesterday [on Wednesday] with strong marking and fast transitions."
Brazil are currently sixth in the 10-team South American zone standings with seven points from six qualifiers, eight points behind leaders Argentina.
Dorival knows the five-time world champions cannot afford to lose again on Friday.
"It's an uncomfortable situation that we're in," he said. "We have to be aware of it and pay special attention to what we do from now on," he said.
Brazil will conclude the double-header of qualifiers with a clash against Paraguay in Asuncion on Tuesday. ■
