Real Madrid News
In-form Real Madrid ace hailed as a ‘total player’ by national team manager
Speaking in a press conference, Uruguay national team manager Diego Alonso has hailed Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde as a ‘total player’ while praising him for his ‘exuberant’ start to the ongoing season.
Valverde has emerged as one of Real Madrid’s best players this season and has been the driving force behind the defence of their La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles.
Apart from his impeccably energetic displays, the 24-year-old has also contributed heavily in front of goal, bagging as many as eight goals already.
A guarantee to be on the plane for the World Cup with the Uruguayan national team, Valverde has now earned plaudits from Alonso.
“He has been having an exuberant performance, it is noticeable and it is constant. It makes us very happy,” the Uruguay boss said (h/t MARCA).
Further praising his adaptability and versatility, Alonso added: “He is a total player. With us the first game he played as a left midfielder and later in a double pivot with Bentancur. In other games, he has played as an interior midfielder.
“I know he has even played as a central defender and a winger as well… He can play anywhere and he will do well because he is a great footballer.”
Valverde has done a sterling job for Real Madrid while playing in central midfield or on the right flank this season.
A firm fan-favourite at the Santiago Bernabeu, the 24-year-old has admitted that he desires to become the club captain in the future. And if he continues in this vein of form, the day when he will don the captain’s armband for Real Madrid might not be too far.
According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano (h/t Madrid Xtra), there is nothing concrete at the moment between Harry Kane and Real Madrid. The two parties have not held any talks and a potential transfer is distant.
Los Blancos’ admiration of the English striker is not a novel development for the Spanish giants have been monitoring his situation for a couple of seasons now.
Tottenham’s high financial demands coupled with Karim Benzema’s breathtaking form kept Kane’s pursuit out of sight, but the situation has now changed.
Real Madrid’s French striker may be the current Ballon d’Or holder but he has struggled to recreate his form this season. His subpar performances and age force the club to look for a new face and Kane is unsurprisingly back in the mix.
The England captain has a contract with Spurs that runs until 2024 and he has not agreed on a new deal with the Premier League side. His dire drought for trophies at the club level could force him to move to greener pastures and there is a long line of suitors awaiting his availability.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich both, like Real Madrid, are in need of a new centre-forward and thus join the Merengues in Kane’s pursuit.
The 29-year-old striker has started 28 Premier League games for Antonio Conte’s side this season, scoring a whopping 21 goals and providing two assists in the process. The fact that his goal tally came off a relatively low xG of 15.6 shows Kane’s effectiveness in front of the goal.
Karim Benzema is likely to renew for another season, but the summer could see the Galacticos go all out for a big-name striker. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are some of the other names considered, though it is clear that neither of them would arrive cheap.
