Sporting president criticises former captain Morten Hjulmand over conduct

Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has publicly criticised former captain Morten Hjulmand, revealing that the Danish midfielder was briefly dropped from the team last season amid concerns over his professionalism.

Varandas launched the criticism on Sunday evening, targeting the Denmark international who had previously been highly regarded by Sporting supporters and wore the captain’s armband before completing his move to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.

“There were no offers in January, but there was pressure from the player because he wanted to leave. We discussed a possible departure that, in reality, had no substance: there were zero offers, and there was unprofessional behaviour,” Varandas said, according to O Jogo and CNN Portugal.

“What happened? The player was sidelined at a time when Sporting was competing for the national championship,” the club president added.

Varandas is believed to have been referring to a match on February 1, when Hjulmand was unexpectedly left out of Sporting’s squad.

The midfielder returned to the squad for the following match and went on to make one of his 141 appearances for the Lisbon club.

The comments came while Varandas was discussing Sporting’s current striker Luis Suarez, who has also been linked with a potential departure but continues to feature for the club.

Varandas used the situation to draw a comparison with Hjulmand’s conduct during the January transfer window.

“If Suarez is called up for a match, it is because he is professional enough to be there and honour the shirt,” Varandas said.

“Let me give you a simple example: last year, precisely because of the turbulence in the January transfer market, there were stories about our captain that never amounted to anything.”

Hjulmand eventually left Sporting after establishing himself as an important figure at the club, but Varandas’ latest comments have shed new light on the tensions surrounding his final months in Lisbon.