Hernanes hoping to seize Brazil chance

21-Mar-2013 1:45:00 AM

The Lazio star is keeping his fingers crossed that he can impress current Selecao coach Luiz Felipe Scolari more than the midfielder did his predecessors

Brazil midfielder Hernanes is hoping that he can seize the chance that Luiz Felipe Scolari has given him in this month’s friendlies against Italy and Russia.

The Lazio midfielder has picked up eight caps since making his international debut five years ago, and the versatile Serie A star is hoping to make up for lost time having missed out on the recent England defeat due to injury.

Hernanes told Fifa.com: "To tell you the truth I didn’t have time to feel frustrated [when I missed out on the match at Wembley] because I had to think about my health after the accident and undergo lots of tests.

"When I saw that I was fine I started to think about the next call-up. I’m happy because my form’s improving with Lazio and because I’ve achieved my goal of getting back into the Brazil squad.

"The chance has come at a good time in my career and my personal life and I need to make the most of it."

The former Sao Paulo midfielder is looking to stamp his authority on the team to assure Scolari makes note of his efforts and gives him regular appearances in a Selecao shirt in future after a lacklustre number of caps to date.

"It’s true I haven’t played that many games," Hernanes continued. "There aren’t that many matches to get called up for in any case, and unless there’s a coach who has faith in your work and picks you, you’re not going to get the chance to show your potential.

"It’s not easy to play one game one day and then the next a year later. Everyone’s got their preferences and I respect that.

"I just hope that Felipao is someone who’s going to pick me to play and give me a regular game so I can show what I can do. That’s why every detail in training and in matches counts."

Brazil clash with Italy on Thursday night, with a 20:30CET kick-off, before facing Fabio Capello’s Russia next week as they continue their friendly run in the build-up to this summer’s Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.

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