Argentine Julián Álvarez has returned to Atlético Madrid training after an absence lasting several months, amid intense media interest in the date of his anticipated meeting with coach Diego Simeone.
Spanish newspaper Marca reported that Álvarez arrived early at the training complex, accompanied by his agent Fernando Hidalgo and Sergio Díaz, before the start of Wednesday morning’s training session.
Álvarez’s return had been delayed from the expected date after he underwent medical tests at the sports medicine center on Monday and trained individually on Tuesday at the sports city.
Before Wednesday’s session began, Álvarez spoke with Simeone in an unscheduled friendly meeting, during which the Argentine striker reaffirmed his position while the coach stressed that he counts on him and intends to help him continue developing and delivering his best performances with the team.
While Atlético Madrid were in South Korea, Simeone had confirmed that the club was pleased with Álvarez’s continued presence, noting that the coaching staff would work to help him keep developing and maintain the level he showed over the past two seasons.
The conversation between the two did not last long and took place in a calm atmosphere marked by mutual respect, with no signs of any clash between the player and his coach regarding his future.
On the technical level, Simeone still appears to include Álvarez in his starting plans, having deployed him in the central striker role for part of the session alongside Ademola Lookman in attack.
Although the training session saw players divided into different groups, Simeone’s decision to include Álvarez in the main squad for portions of the session reflects his commitment to the player, pending developments regarding his future with Atlético Madrid in the coming period.
