Mijatovic Praises Real Madrid Debutants

The Real Madrid sporting director pledged that there is more to come from the new arrivals.

Pedja Mijatovic, Real Madrid
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Lassana 'Lass' Diarra made their debuts for Real Madrid against Villarreal on Sunday afternoon in a 1-0 victory for los Blancos.

Although Huntelaar in particular appeared to be slightly out-of-sorts, sporting director Pedja Mijatovic was encouraged by what he saw of the two new signings and pledged that they would improve further.

"I am happy for Lass and Huntelaar, both of whom debuted in fine fashion," he told the official Real Madrid website.

"They are lacking a little pace, but it was a tough match to debut in. They really came through in a big way, but they still need time.

"They are young, very talented and I am sure they will help us a lot."

Looking at the squad as a whole, he added, "The best news however is that we have many of our players back. The last three months were full of problems. Having Ruud (van Nistelrooy), (Mahamadou) Diarra and (Ruben) de la Red out really hurt us.

"We ended 2008 well and knew it was important to start 2009 off with a win. We played well in the first half. We lowered our rhythm in the second, but still had our chances."

--Steve Michaels, Goal.com


 
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