Pablo Barrios ' muscle injury has opened up the possibility of increased competition in midfield in the coming weeks. However, the player who seems likely to benefit from this situation is a player who was unexpected by many fans. This is Javi Serrano , who returned from his loan this summer and had a certain role during the friendlies.
As we have already mentioned in Esto es Atleti , Diego Pablo Simeone has a lot of confidence in the midfielder and was going to give him the opportunity in the next matches . As soon as Pablo Barrios ' absence was confirmed, it was Javi Serrano who joined the training sessions with the first team in Majadahonda. Today he will be on the bench, although it seems unlikely that he will get minutes after playing yesterday with the red-and-white reserve team in Alcorcón.
Javi Serrano takes advantage of the opportunity
The case of the Spanish midfielder is very curious, as he was able to make a place for himself in Simeone 's plans in the 2021-22 season. He made his debut in the Champions League defeat against Liverpool , having minutes in other matches of the season and pleasing the fans. As usual, he went out on loan the following summer with the aim of continuing to grow and returning as a better player.
However, he did not adapt to any of the clubs in the second tier of Spanish football, and finally left for Austria . His international adventure was not as fruitful as he had hoped and he has ended up returning to the lower categories of the Madrid club. Before, he was part of the preseason with the first team and Simeone gave him minutes in some friendly matches.
Although he will usually play under Fernando Torres , it seems clear that the Argentine coach is betting heavily on Javi Serrano . Today, he will sit on the bench against Valencia and could have minutes if necessary depending on the context of the match. Yesterday he played almost the entire match against Alcorcón and, therefore, it would be very strange to see him on the Metropolitano pitch tonight.
Simeone is confident
Normally, the red-and-white coach ends up giving the opportunity to those youth players who are capable of showing a good level in their minutes. The reality is that Javi Serrano achieved this in his first games with the colchoneros, something that led the fans to think that he would stay in the first team. It is true that his last few seasons have not been really good, showing his defects much more than his virtues.
Now, during all the weeks that Pablo Barrios will be out, the youth player has a golden opportunity to show his best version again. Simeone has a lot of confidence in his projection and has not hesitated to include him in the list of those called up in the absence of the '8' from Atlético. It will not be easy, but the lack of alternatives in the engine room leaves Javi Serrano in a very favourable position.