Rodrigo Alvim arrived at Flamengo to shadow Juan at left-back, but he's been a pleasant surprise in the team's training sessions at Ninho do Urubu. Since being hired at the end of January, the player has excelled in the activities led by coach Andrade, receiving high praise from both the coach and his teammates. Despite this, he's not expected to be available until the second round of the Campeonato Carioca.

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Goalkeeper Marcelo Lomba, Bruno's immediate backup, has nothing but praise for his new teammate. On his Twitter profile, Lomba revealed that Rodrigo Alvim is training very well and will soon be selected by the club's coach, Andrade.

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"He's a great surprise, he's training really well and I think he'll be able to help us a lot," he said.

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Although considered an option in Juan's possible absence, Alvim has very different characteristics than Gávea's number 6. According to coach Andrade, the new Flamengo signing is a full-back in the best European style for the position. In other words, he's better known for his defensive quality.

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"He's much more of a winger than a full-back. Alvim is a player who holds the ball more. He's not like Juan and Léo Moura, who tend to go forward more. Alvim plays deeper, doesn't go out as much, and just goes out there. He's a good player to have in the squad because with a change the team can play a different formation," he observed.

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Another factor that only allows Alvim to play in the Rio Cup is the registration issue. The athlete was signed after the deadline for registering athletes with the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation for the Guanabara Cup.

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The player's strong performance in training has already raised the question of when he'll be able to debut. The answer is the club's fitness coach, Marcelo Martorelli. Furthermore, another factor is preventing the player from making an immediate debut. He arrived after the deadline for athlete registration with the FFERJ for the Guanabara Cup, and therefore, he will only play in the Rio Cup.

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"The player arrived in good shape, but I believe he will only make his debut in the second half of the season. He has been progressing well, working hard, and I believe he will help us soon," he explained.

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Alvim was in Germany, but had been getting few opportunities at Wolfsburg, the current German champion. The player said he didn't think twice when he got the chance to join Flamengo.

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"They understood that this is an opportunity that doesn't come around often. I'm very grateful to them and today I'm realizing a dream, which is to be here at Flamengo," said the athlete, who signed a three-year contract with the Rubro-Negro.