Madrid, Aug 18 (IANS) Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said striker Julian Alvarez will not be involved in his side's opening game of the new La Liga season on Wednesday night.
Atletico start their 2026-2027 campaign at home to Malaga in a game postponed from the weekend to allow the club's World Cup stars more time to recover from the summer tournament.
The game should see summer signings Lee Kang-in, Spain international Alex Grimaldo and Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand all make their debuts, but could come too soon for the most recent arrival, Cuti Romero, who joined from Tottenham Hotspur last week.
However, Alvarez remain the focus of attention after saying he wants to leave the club, with FC Barcelona keen on signing him.
Alvarez was left out of Atletico's final warm-up game in Marseille due to his lack of fitness after the World Cup final, and Simeone will not include him against Malaga after just over a week of training.
"He needs a little more training to be in top form for Sunday (when Atletico plays Villarreal). From a sporting perspective, we need more training sessions with him," Simeone explained in his pre-game press conference on Tuesday.
The Atletico coach said Alvarez was his side's "best attacking player" and insisted they "need to build a team around him, considering his potential, talent, experience, and what he's given the team during his time here."
The coach stuck to the club's position that Alvarez is not for sale, but insisted he had the 26-year-old's interests at heart.
"From a sporting perspective, we want to take care of the person, the player, so that he continues to uphold his reputation. We don't think he's ready to play in this match, but in four more days we hope to get closer to our goal," concluded Simeone.
--IANS
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