Real Madrid will look to maintain pressure on league leaders Barcelona when they take on Leganes on Saturday.

One of the players who will play a crucial role in nullifying the Real Madrid attacking game for Leganes this weekend will be former academy talent Javi Hernandez.

A left-back by trade, Hernandez is a crucial element to Leganes’ defensive scheme. Heading into this contest, the 26-year-old, in a recent interview, reflected on his time at Real Madrid while talking about various club legends including Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos.

Javi Hernandez on Kroos, Ramos and Benzema

First and foremost, Javi Hernandez admitted that Toni Kroos was the player that impressed him the most when he was training with Real Madrid’s reserve team.

“Toni Kroos was a footballer who you could send any ball to and he would make it work for you. He was a player who made every play work for you, he didn’t make a single bad pass, everything he did was favorable in his playing,” he said (h/t Mundo Deportivo).

Hernandez was a part of the Real Madrid youth setup for seven years, between 2013 to 2020, before eventually joining Legane for just half a million.

Apart from Kroos, the left-back went on to talk about Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, adding, “Also, many players like Sergio Ramos, who I spent a lot of time with in defense, helped me a lot; I have a good relationship with him.“

The Leganes star also mentioned Benzema, but admitted Kroos impressed him the most. “Benzema, too, at the time when he was there. There were many players who surprised me, but if I had to choose one, I’d choose Kroos.”

Hernandez on Raul and his time at Castilla

Javi Hernandez was then asked whether or not he sees his former manager Raul one day becoming the coach of Real Madrid.

“Absolutely. I think Raul, from player to manager, has always been a leader. He’s a manager who knows how to manage,” he said.

“He still lacks a bit of experience, but I think in the end the important thing is knowing how to run a dressing room, being a leader, and I think Raúl is that,” he further noted.

“He’s also a great person; I have a very good relationship with him, and he always helped me with everything,” the Spaniard added.

Hernandez also reminisced about his time at Castilla, even hailing Real Madrid as the best club in the world.

“The experience of having been at Castilla, of playing in the first team, of training with them, of surrounding yourself with the greatest, of knowing how they approach training, matches…,” said Hernandez.

Continuing, he added: “There are players who have played for Castilla who have had to leave and others who have been lucky enough to stay.

“We know that Madrid are one of the best clubs in the world and that it is very difficult to establish yourself in that squad. Facing these players is always motivating and if we can beat them, even better.”

Finally, Javi Hernandez talked about Leganes’ upcoming game against Real Madrid and whether or not his team stands a chance of beating Los Blancos.

“We know perfectly well the stage we’re going to and we’re aware of the opponent we’re facing. But this team has shown that it’s capable of beating big teams; we’ve already done it against Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid,” he said.

“We’re going in with all the excitement in the world . We’ve already faced them and we know how difficult it will be to compete against them. But we have ten finals left; we need points to stay in the league. Why not win at the Bernabeu?” he concluded.