Edgaras Utkus

Edgaras Utkus
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-06-22) 22 June 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Radviliškis, Lithuania
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Midfielder, defender
Team information
Current team
 Cercle Brugge
Number 3
Youth career
2015–2018 NFA
2018–2019 Monaco
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Monaco B 8 (0)
2021– Cercle Brugge 55 (4)
International career‡
2016 Lithuania U16 2 (0)
2015–2016 Lithuania U17 11 (1)
2017 Lithuania U18 4 (1)
2017–2018 Lithuania U19 15 (3)
2018–2021 Lithuania U21 11 (1)
2020– Lithuania 16 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024

Edgaras Utkus (born 22 June 2000) is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or defender for Cercle Brugge and the Lithuania national team.[1]

Career

Monaco

In 2019, Utkus signed his first professional contract with Monaco. In France he played from summer of the 2019.[2][3][4] He appeared for the reserves, competing in Championnat National 2.

Cercle Brugge

In the summer of 2021, Utkus moved to Belgian First Division A club Cercle Brugge.[5] He made his debut on 24 July 2021 in a match against Beerschot which was interrupted after 55 minutes due to heavy rainfall.[6] The match was continued on 27 July, and ended in a 1–0 win for Cercle. Despite being a midfielder, Utkus lined up in the right side of central defense, where he kept a clean sheet.[7]

On 4 August 2022, Cercle Brugge announced that Utkus had suffered a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament and a tear in the meniscus of his knee, which required surgery.[8] The injury effectively ended his season.[9][10] Despite the severity of his injury, he extended his contract with the club on 23 April 2023, signing a deal until 2026.[11]

International career

Utkus made his international debut for the Lithuania national team on 11 November 2020 in a friendly match against the Faroe Islands.[12]

Career statistics

International

As of 11 June 2022[12]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Lithuania 2020 2 0
2021 3 0
2022 5 0
2023 4 0
Total 14 0

References

  1. ^ Edgaras Utkus at WorldFootball.net Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Le jeune Lituanien Edgaras Utkus à Monaco". L'Équipe (in French). 9 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Oficialu: "Monaco" žvaigždyne – parašą padėjęs Lietuvos talentas". 15min.lt/sportas (in Lithuanian). 7 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Oficialu: perspektyvus lietuvis pasirašė sutartį su Prancūzijos futbolo gigantu Monaco". lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 6 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Edgaras Utkus and Boris Popovic to Cercle Brugge". AS Monaco. 20 July 2021.
  6. ^ Lambrecht, Yannick (24 July 2021). "Regen is spelbreker in het Kiel, Beerschot en Cercle maken match dinsdag af". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish).
  7. ^ "Beerschot vs. Cercle Brugge - 27 July 2021 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Medische update: Edgaras Utkus". Cercle Brugge (Press release) (in Flemish). 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Edgaras Utkus ziet het einde van zijn lange revalidatie". De Krant van West-Vlaanderen (in Dutch). 22 April 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  10. ^ Verweirder, Luc (1 June 2023). "Edgaras Utkus (Cercle Brugge) na verloren seizoen opnieuw fit: "Al is het voor kwartiertje, ik ben klaar"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  11. ^ Vandecauter, Joachim (7 April 2023). "Opvallend: Cercle Brugge verlengt het contract van speler die al het hele seizoen uit is". Voetbalkrant (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b Lithuania v Faroe Islands