(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Portugal coach Fernando Santos left Bernardo Silva, one of the country's brightest young players, out of his final 23-man Euro 2016 squad on Tuesday but included 18-year-old Renato Sanches.
Silva, 22, was excluded after suffering a thigh injury in his last game for Monaco, while full back Fabio Coentrao and forward Danny were also ruled out through injury. Santos decided not to risk Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago, who has just recovered after being sidelined for five months with a broken leg. Silva's absence opened the way for Sanches, who only made his professional debut in October and was sold from Benfica to Bayern Munich for 35 million euros ($40 million) earlier this month. Santos also downplayed any concerns that Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance in the Champions League final later this month could impact his performance in France. Ronaldo, who will lead Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid in the final on May 28, was struggling with injury two years ago when he played in the final of Europe's top club competition. "Cristiano Ronaldo will be on his best form and I am convinced that he is physically prepared to play the Champions League and the European championship," Santos said. "He is very ambitious in relation to this competition." Santos added: "Portugal are not favourites, we don't pretend to be so. But we are good enough to face any opponent on equal terms."