Marquinhos finally made his return to the pitch for Nantes on Saturday, well over two months since his last appearance for the club.

Arsenal loanee Marquinhos hasn’t had the most consistent start to life on loan with Ligue 1 side Nantes, but it’s fair to say the Pan American Games played a significant role in that.

Marquinhos took a break from the club action to play in the international tournament in October, providing three assists in three games at the event.

Brazil ended up winning gold medals, and it ultimately seemed to be worth the time away from Marquinhos’ loan club.

But it took quite a while for the winger to get back involved with Nantes afterwards.

It’s not surprising Marquinhos didn’t play for Nantes against Reims on November 5th, just a day after the Pan American Games final, or Metz a week later.

But Marquinhos also missed the match against Le Havre two weeks after that, and he only returned to the bench for the game against Nice last week.

That made it a full month since the Pan American Games ended, with zero appearances in that time. But Marquinhos finally ended that run by coming off the bench this Saturday, against PSG, no less.

The Arsenal man had a shot and created a chance in just under half an hour on the pitch, as well as winning a couple of free kicks. But he couldn’t help Nantes to secure a result, with PSG running out 2-1 winners.

As we approach the January transfer window, the rumours about a possible recall for Marquinhos are likely to continue to grow.

The Brazilian only has four games on his schedule between now and the end of January, so he’ll have to make the most of any further opportunities.

Nantes are next in action against Brest on Sunday, December 17th at 12:00 GMT.