MADRID, 9 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Atlético de Madrid player Saúl Ñíguez assured that he is “very excited” to return “home” after his loan to Chelsea in the Premier League last season, and added that on a mental level he is “at full throttle” to face a new campaign like red and white
“I feel very good, I’m really looking forward to it, very excited to return home and mentally at my best. I’m really looking forward to seeing my teammates, seeing the coach and going back to work under him. I’m looking forward to Sunday and meeting again with everyone,” he assured in an interview with the club’s media.
The midfielder could not enjoy the “desired minutes” at Chelsea but described his time at Stamford Bridge as a “good experience”. “It was a good experience for me to go out at a time when mentally I was not feeling well. I have been able to reset, learn a new culture, lead a new life, meet a new club, fans. I can only be grateful to all the people. Chelsea for their trust and my teammates for making the year very bearable and helping me and Atleti for having made it easier”, he said.
However, having done that mental reset, he now wants to feel the ‘mattress’ passion again, starting with the preseason. “Here you always work very hard and it’s hard. It’s a phase of accumulation of work that is going to be decisive throughout the season. This year it’s going to be different because there’s a World Cup in the middle of the season and that’s going to to manage the preseason in a different way”, he recognised.
“I am looking forward to working with Profe Ortega, with Dani, Pitillas, Zahínos… They are the ones who carry out the day-to-day physical preparation and they will surely put us at the best level for the competition,” he assured.
On an individual level, he only hopes to give his best. “I am aware that I am coming off a loan in which I have not had many minutes and that I have to get a place in the team with work, perseverance and a lot of sacrifice, something that is very expensive because there is very high competition, we have a team enormously competitive”, he valued.
“I come with a lot of humility, thinking about working and helping the team in everything I can and from wherever I play. I really want to show that, despite having a difficult year, it has been very good for me to improve and grow in many aspects, both sporting and personal. And as a group I hope that we continue as always, being a team that fights every game until the end, that does not give up, that competes in all tournaments and that we can bring a lot of joy to our fans” , he predicted.
As for the affection that the rojiblanco fans have for him, he assured that he wants to continue giving them commitment and work. “They identify with you if you give yourself to the fullest, because you’re from the house and you feel the same as they feel. We have mutual affection and I’ve always been very grateful to them for their support, especially in bad times, which is the most complicated. We have incredible fans,” he said.