According to Brazil's Globo Esporte, Estevão has recovered from injury and returned to the Brazilian national team, but he continues to have limited playing opportunities at Chelsea.

After overcoming the muscle injury that kept him out of the World Cup, Estevão has rejoined the Brazilian squad for the first international break of the 2026 cycle. However, he continues to see limited playing time at Chelsea.

The 19-year-old was once one of the standout performers in Ancelotti's Brazil team until his injury forced him to miss the World Cup. Now, Ancelotti will give him opportunities again, but under Xavi Alonso at Chelsea, he has consistently lacked such chances. This season, he has only played 148 minutes across 6 appearances for the London club, with just 2 starts.

Estevão's lack of opportunities at Chelsea has also sparked discussion in the English media. It is widely believed that, beyond his dribbling ability, his tactical awareness and defensive performance are important factors in Xavi Alonso's selection decisions. When asked about this topic, Estevão chose to keep his composure and respond thoughtfully.

Estevão stated, "Every coach has their own style of play, and of course, we train hard every day and give our all. That's what I do. Chelsea has many extremely talented players. I focus on what I can control. As long as I get a chance, I will try my best. I feel that I have made good use of every opportunity I've been given. I only focus on the parts I can control and leave the rest to God. I also have a lot of faith in myself."

While competing for playing time, Estevão is also committed to looking after himself, hoping to remain healthy after a season plagued by recurring injuries at Chelsea. In the 2024/25 season, he has already suffered 5 injuries, missing 129 days and 24 matches, with the most severe injury ruling him out of the World Cup.

Estevão said, "I focus on protecting myself every day. Of course, no player wants to get injured, but unfortunately, it happened frequently last season. I have been actively working on injury prevention, doing a lot of physiotherapy, taking care of my body, diet, and sleep. These are all things a player needs to perform at their best on the field. For me, being able to stay on the pitch is a great blessing, which wasn't always possible last season. As long as I can play, I am already very happy."

As for missing the World Cup, that is already behind Estevão. Watching Brazil's disappointing campaign on television was difficult, but over time, the forward learned to accept it and support his country as a fan.

Estevão said, "The first few days were really tough, but thank God, I managed to recover well and get back on the pitch, and rejoin the Brazilian national team. After the first month passed and I slowly came to terms with it, the most important thing was to support Brazil. Every match, every goal, I was very excited because I knew what those on the field were going through and how important it was for every player. So, during that time, my only focus was to cheer for Brazil to achieve the best possible results."

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