Hugo Sánchez sends clear message to Efraín Juárez amid Pumas uncertainty
The Mexican legend praises Juárez’s work at Pumas but says the young coach should consider a move to Europe after guiding the club to a final.
Much has been said about the possible departure of Efraín Juárez from Pumas, a move that would leave the club without the leader of a project that began just over a year ago and has already reached a final.
While that decision may frustrate some fans, others see it as the right step. Among the latter is one of the most authoritative voices associated with the club, Hugo Sánchez.
“If I were him, I would go to Europe”
At a pre-World Cup event, the Mexican legend, a five-time scoring champion in Spain, weighed in on Pumas’ recent final loss to Cruz Azul. He also offered direct advice to Juárez, saying he would like to see the current Pumas coach take the next step in his career by moving to Europe.
“The next season will be the same or better, depending on whether Efraín stays or not,” Sánchez said. “I’ll tell you this: if I were Efraín, what would I do? Yesterday we were talking at night and I wanted to say it then. If I were Efraín, I would go to Europe.”
A reflection of his own experience
Sánchez, who led Club Universidad to back-to-back titles 22 years ago, said Juárez’s work has been excellent in charge of the team. He highlighted not only the structural improvements but also Juárez’s ability to manage pressure and media attention to protect his players.
“He’s done a very good job. He has improved things step by step. He has corrected issues he’s been criticized for, but he’s also very intelligent,” Sánchez said.
“He knows how to attract attention and become a distraction so the pressure is not on the players. He prefers the criticism to fall on him, for people to talk about him, what he said or did, rather than what happens on the field, whether in training or in games. Many coaches around the world do that. I used to do it at times too, which is why I felt a certain parallel. It’s just unfortunate he couldn’t celebrate with Pumas.”
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