Atlético faces the last friendly match prior to the start of the League and does so with reinforcements on all lines. If the last to arrive have their presence in the air to visit the Feyenoord (Suárez, Trippier, Correa, Lodi and the recently recovered Savic), Simeone will apparently be able to resort to Beautiful in defense, he has Herrera in midfield, captain Koke and his luxurious reinforcement up front in the form of Marcos Llorente.
The '14' has amply demonstrated its versatility, that It allows him to play from right back, pivot, arriving midfielder, right inside, second striker and even a reference in the area. And given the limitations in attack, with Suárez and Correa with less than a week of training, João Félix still rehabilitating for his ankle operation and at the expense of adding numbers to the top in the transfer market, Llorente is running as one of the forwards to start LaLiga in Balaídos.
Before Feyenoord could be accompanied by Giuliano Simeone, one of the great sensations of the preseason for his fight, eagerness to chase every play, speed and work, or for a Lemar floating behind Llorente, leaving Herrera, De Paul and Koke in midfield. If the ideal position of the '14' is in that engine room, but with freedom to deploy in attack and seek to uncheck the space on the right wing, he is prepared to act as a spearhead if Cholo requires it. Last season he got 13 goals and 12 assists, a year of total explosion to become one of the most decisive footballers in LaLiga and a key piece to raise the title in the national championship.
At 26 years old, he has taken a leap in his career since he arrived at Atlético and if his market value in April 2020 was 16 million, in just over a year he has reached 80, which makes him the second most sought-after footballer in the competition, tied with Pedri and João Félix and only surpassed by De Jong (€ 90M). However, Llorente is not satisfied with what has been achieved so far. He wants to keep growing, feeling more and more important and showing that his figures last year were no coincidence. Before the start of the League will come his warm-up against Feyenoord and he wants to make it clear that the holidays are not with him.