Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui address the rumours surrounding the transfer of the players away from the Los Blancos. Croatian International Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic are linked to move away from the Bernabeu in this transfer window.
Real Madrid Boss is reluctant to sell Kovacic despite his desire to move away to get more game time for his own but Lopetegui considers him an important player and doesn’t want to lose him. Julen addresses the media after their win over Roma regarding the future of Kovacic and his international teammate Modric.
Lopetegui said,“There’s nothing 100 per cent certain, Mateo has said he wants to leave, I’ve said he is an important player. If he wants to leave, we’ll look to find solutions.
“Regarding Modric, the president has spoken on the issue and I’ve nothing further to add. Obviously if Mateo does leave, we’d look for players of his level. We need to have a balanced team and he’s an important player.”
Lopetegui addresses the rumours about the potential signing of Chelsea shot-stopper Courtois and supported the present goal-keeper Navas.
He added,“First of all, as I’ve said, I do not speak about players that do not play for Real Madrid. The only goalkeepers I can talk about right now are Keylor [Navas], Kiko [Casilla], Andriy [Lunin] and Luca [Zidane]. If we get to that point, I will speak about it. Keylor is phenomenal, he’s had a great preseason, he’s an extraordinary goalkeeper and we’re thrilled to have him.”
Gareth Bale performance is the centre of attention after his goal and the assist against Roma become decisive for the win in the friendly. Julen stated,“It’s not about replacing someone or filling their role; it’s about being part of the team, Gareth Bale is obviously a great player but it’s not for me to make comparisons. That’s for [the media].”
“I see soccer a bit differently than you do. No player puts the team on their back. it’s about the team playing for each other and that’s what we’re pushing for. Bale is an extraordinary player and we’re confident he will have a great season.”
Roma’s Eusebio Di Francesco was disappointed after his loss against Real Madrid and explains the heavy workload and USA tour is affecting the player’s performance. He said, “There are a lot of things we can still improve on. Tonight we played one of the best teams in the world. What I didn’t like for sure was our defending at the beginning of the first half, especially our defending for Real’s opening goal.
Julen Lopetegui on Luka Modrić: “I have no doubts Modrić will continue at Real Madrid. I love the way he plays and he knows it."
(Source: AS) pic.twitter.com/YfZmAesrjW
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“I think my team is not 100 per cent yet in shape. We’ve been working hard, the workloads we’ve been putting in have been huge. For example, Ante Coric played only 20 minutes [tonight] and had stiff legs by the end.
“We’ve been doing a lot of travelling, it’s been a long preseason and we are focused on having everyone fit for the beginning of the season and not on putting out the best XI vs. Real Madrid”.
Lopetegui is confident that the Croatian International Luka and Kovacic are staying and Madrid for another season and it’s going to be very tough for the team to keep the players and form a formidable unit they are with Ronaldo leading the attack.
AUTHOR’s TALK:
Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic are the important part of the team and their departure would result in creating the void in the Los Blancos line-up. But the amount of playing time the player is getting is not doing any good for the team as well as the player, so it’s better for them to move away to get more playing time.
Lopetegui is trying to keep the player as they step-up for the team when they are called upon making them an important member of the team. On the other hand, Gareth Bale should start to understand his responsibility after the departure of Ronaldo and show to the world his capabilities.
