Jo didn’t fit with Al Shabab system: official

Dubai: Al Shabab surprisingly axed Brazil’s 2014 World Cup striker Jo on Sunday because his style of play didn’t fit with the system, according to Khalid Eisa Bu Humaid, the club’s vice-president.

The 28-year-old former £19 million (Dh99.5 million) Manchester City signing scored 16 goals in 19 league and cup appearances for Al Shabab since joining on an undisclosed three-year deal from Atletico Mineiro in July.

The move had been intended to jump-start the player’s career after he was released by Mineiro for a spate of indiscipline sparked by family problems, the details of which were never specified.

Jo had gone a year without scoring before moving to the UAE and upon his arrival he vowed to use the opportunity to work his way back into the Brazil national team, with whom he has scored five goals in 20 appearances since 2007.

The Sao Paulo native has yet to earn that recall however since featuring in their ill-fated 2014 World Cup hosting, where they were hammered 7-1 in the semi-final by eventual champions Germany.

It was the culmination of years in decline, where ever since joining Manchester City from CSKA Moscow for £19 million in 2008, the player failed to impress in loan spells with Everton and Galatasaray. He has now been replaced at Al Shabab by fellow Brazilian striker Juninho Potiguar, 25, who joins on a five month loan from Moldova’s Sheriff Tiraspol. Juninho has scored 20 in 39 appearances since joining Tiraspol in January 2014.

Asked why Jo had been replaced, Bu Humaid told Gulf News: “The reason is quite obvious. He’s a big name in world football however his style didn’t suit us, this is common in football, when you see players who you really expect to perform decline. He didn’t mix with our system and we had to take action.”

Of Jo’s replacement, Juninho, he added: “He’s fast, mobile, good in and out of the box and has previously played alongside [current Al Shabab forward] Henrique Luvannor in Moldova. We are optimistic that he will help the team be more effective.”

Regarding Jo’s future, and where he will go now, Buhumaid said: “That’s still under discussion. There are options available to us that we cannot release.”

Elsewhere on Sunday Al Wasl replaced Brazilian striker Edgar Bruno with Rogerinho, a compatriot forward who joins on a five month loan deal from Kuwait’s AL Kuwait SC. Bruno, 29, had scored seven goals in 13 league appearances since joining on a two-year deal from Al Shabab in July, while his replacement has 43 goals in 77 appearances for Kuwait SC.

“It was tactical and for the good of the team,” said an Al Wasl spokesperson on the decision to replace Bruno, speaking on condition of anonymity. Of Bruno’s future, the source added: “There’s still nothing official.”

And of Rogerinho, the source said: “He’s an experienced player with a proven record in the region.”