Real Madrid icons give backing to under-fire defender

Dean Huijsen made a strong start to life at Real Madrid following his summer move from Bournemouth, but since then, he has struggled. A number of disappointing performances have followed in the last couple of months, which have generated some doubts about those associated with the club.

Despite this, there are many that still back Huijsen. Former Real Madrid player Manolo Sanchis is one of those, as he spoke to Diario AS on the defender.

“He is a footballer with fantastic qualities to play as a centre-back. I am fascinated by his tremendous ability to get the ball out and he is intuitive, something that is very important at Real Madrid. It is clear that he has weaknesses, although he has the age and the physical and mental capacity to correct them little by little and become a defender of the era.

“He has had some weaker games, such as against Liverpool, Sevilla and some others against big teams, in which he has struggled to get his body and in certain phases he has been weaker with the ball. But his base is magnificent and I am convinced that he will become a very important player for Real Madrid over the next few years.”

Rafa Alkorta also foresees a successful spell at the Bernabeu for Huijsen, who is at risk of missing out on Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

“It’s not easy to adapt to the demands of playing for Real Madrid and Huijsen is immersed in that process. Obviously he has things to improve because he is very young, but he has a magnificent future ahead of him. It is very difficult to see a centre-back of that stature who handles both legs equally, which allows him to stand out in his great ability to get the ball played from the back. That quality opens up a wide range of possibilities for him on the pitch.”

Huijsen told “his concentration must improve”

Ivan Campo also discussed Huijsen, whose adaptation to Real Madrid he has been impressed by. However, he has concerns about some of his mental attributes.

“My general impression after his first months is quite good. The most difficult thing is to adapt to Real Madrid coming from a much less powerful team like Bournemouth and they are achieving it little by little. His conditions are beyond doubt. He’s fast, he positions himself well, he has clear ideas, he handles both legs and he’s good at filtering balls.

“Real Madrid force you to be at a very high level always because you are in the spotlight in every game and mistakes are magnified more than in other teams. For this reason, his concentration must improve, so as not to have distractions. He will have already realised the importance of everything when you wear white and that he cannot let his guard down for a second during matches. He needs to gain experience and take on stripes because he seems to me a superclass who is capable of being one of the best centre-backs in the world.”

The post Real Madrid icons give backing to under-fire defender appeared first on Football España.