A place in the final of the Coupe de France is offered when USL Dunkerque-Gastheer Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening, while it is also a chance for Dunkerque manager Luís Castro to reunite with two players whose career he forged.
Castro joined Ligue 2-side Dunkerque in October 2023, but before that he had worked with Benfica's youth side (2019-2022) and then the reserves of the Portuguese club (2022-23). During this time he worked with Gonçalo Ramos, who came to PSG in the summer of 2023 and João Neves, who arrived at the start of the season.
Castro could not speak enough about the Portugal internationals prior to the Coupe de France Semi. “These are the two best people I worked in football, at a person and a professional level, so I am not surprised by their evolution,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Both Ramos and Neves flourished under Castro's custody in Portugal before they settled in the national team and then secure their large money movements to the Parc des Princes. “Gonçalo worked more than others,” said the Dunkerque manager.
“What else can I say that you don't know yet? You see a video of him in a PSG match and you can see in an instant that he is 200% connected to everyone,” added Castro, and evokes Neves's immediate adjustment to PSG. However, Castro will hope that his gigantic Dunk-Dunkerque will get better on Tuesday evening from Les Parisiens and book their place in the Coupe de France final.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
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