Brazil call-up Atalanta’s Ederson to World Cup squad following Wesley injury

Brazil have called up Atalanta midfielder Ederson, for whom Manchester United have reached an agreement to sign, to replace the injured Wesley in their World Cup squad.

The 26-year-old, who is set to move to Old Trafford for €40.5million ($47m; £35m) fixed fee plus €4.5m ($5m; £4m), replaces Roma full-back Wesley in Carlo Ancelotti’s 26-man panel.

A statement from the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) on Sunday confirmed the 22-year-old defender would miss the tournament after an “MRI scan revealed a muscle injury to the adductor muscle in his left thigh”.

Ederson, who has played three times for Brazil, will join his team-mates in the U.S. on Monday.

Brazil’s initial squad had only included five players who are midfielders by trade — Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al Ittihad) and Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo), with nine recognised defenders (before Wesley’s withdrawal) and nine attacking players.

Drawn into group C, Brazil will face Morocco on June 13, Haiti on June 20, and Scotland on June 24.

Wesley injury a headache, but also an opportunity

Analysis by The Athletic’s Jack Lang

This is both a personal blow to the player and a curveball Ancelotti probably could have done without on the eve of the World Cup. Wesley was set to be Brazil’s starting right-back and will now need replacing in the starting line-up.

There are two obvious options. One is Danilo, the former Manchester City utility man. He is a respected figure in the dressing room but will turn 35 during the World Cup and is mainly now a back-up for his club side, Flamengo. The other is Roger Ibanez, a lanky centre-back whose pace allows him to do a job at full-back when required. If you haven’t heard of him, it’s because he plays his club football in Saudi Arabia. Neither alternative looks hugely attractive, hence the headache for Ancelotti.

What Wesley’s injury has done, however, is allow Ancelotti to rejig the structure of his squad.

His original squad contained nine defenders and only five midfielders. By calling up Ederson, he addresses that imbalance. It could be a vital move: Plan A remains a 4-2-4 formation, but there is a growing feeling in Brazil that Ancelotti should play three in the middle against the better teams. Having Ederson in the squad makes that much more feasible.