In a notable development for Rapid Bucharest, 17-year-old Andrei Șucu, son of club owner Dan Șucu, has been named a starter for the match against Csikszereda, which kicks off Round 14 of the Superliga, the penultimate round of the regular season.
His inclusion in the starting lineup is significant as he meets the U21 regulation criteria. Coach Daniel Pancu opted to bench goalkeeper Ungureanu following his mistakes in the derby loss to FCSB, where Rapid was defeated 1-4. Meanwhile, Vulturar remains sidelined due to injury, leaving Rareș Pop and Jason Kodor on the bench.
Notably, Alex Dobre, the team’s top scorer who netted a brace in the previous home match against Corvinul Hunedoara, is also among the substitutes.
Pancu’s Starting XI Against Csikszereda:
Rapid (4-2-3-1): Aioani – Onea, Pașcanu, Kramer (cpt.), Latif – Grameni, Bubanja – Moruțan, A. Șucu, Kamara – Stojilkovic
Substitutes: B. Ungureanu – Manea, R. Pop, D. Ciobotariu, Sinyan, Annan, Kodor, Doumbia, Dobre, Celik, Jambor, Petrila
Andrei Șucu appeared confident as he took to the field, testing the grass much like Michael Olise, and listened to music before walking around alone for a while.
This season, Șucu had been an unused substitute in all matches except for one against FC Argeș, where he made a late appearance in the 90+4 minute, scoring on his first touch from a pass by Bubanja, taking advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Igor Nikic.
“I’m happy for him. He has clearly shown improvement. He was one player when I arrived in June, and now he’s completely different after a month. He has grown physically and possesses strong technical skills. He needs game time to develop further. If I were him, I would play at Ștefănești because minutes here will be scarce. He is very focused on personal development and has a lot of personality. He’s talented, and I’m genuinely surprised by his progress,” shared Daniel Pancu regarding Andrei Șucu after his goal against FC Argeș.
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