Yorkin Nazarov, head coach of Uzbek Pro League side Kattakurgan, has offered a blunt assessment of Brazilian forward Isak Martins, a former Fluminense teammate of Marcelo and Thiago Silva.
Martins joined Kattakurgan as a free agent ahead of the current season. So far, he has appeared in three of the club’s first four league matches, although he has not played more than 15 minutes in any of them.
Before moving to Uzbekistan, Martins spent time with Fluminense’s senior squad. In December 2024, he and Isaque were first brought into work with the first team, while head coach Marcão called both players up for the club’s January pre-season camp. Reflecting on that period in an earlier interview with Eurasia Football, Martins said he had trained alongside world-class players including Felipe Melo, Thiago Silva, Marcelo and Jhon Arias.
According to Nazarov, the Brazilian’s main issue is not talent, but attitude.
“Fluminense have a great academy, of course. Isak trained alongside Marcelo and Thiago Silva. But he is still young. The main problem is that he is lazy. Otherwise, he would not have ended up in Uzbekistan,” Nazarov told Eurasia Football.
The Kattakurgan coach also drew a comparison with Isaque, another player from the same Fluminense background.
“His teammate and friend from Fluminense, Isaque, was bought by Shakhtar Donetsk for €10 million, and he is living up to expectations. If Isak starts working properly, he can become one of the best players not only in Uzbekistan’s Pro League, but even in the Super League,” he said.
At the same time, Nazarov stressed that Kattakurgan are working closely with the player, including on the psychological side, and believes progress is already visible.
“Yes, we are working with him, including psychologically. We are in constant contact. We can already see the results. Isak has started to improve. His potential is huge. You should see what he can do in training,” Nazarov added.