Record holder of the minutes played at Real Madrid last season, Federico Valverde (27 years old) may slow down. Xabi Alonso and his staff are well aware of the physical overwork that has undergone the Uruguayan environment since the 2023-2024 season. During this period, he participated in 119 games out of the 123 disputed in total by the Merengues, for a total of 9,808 minutes of play. And this, in several positions: in the midfield, in a right winger or as a side. After strengthening the least covered positions during this summer transfer window, the idea is now to put an end to its role as a rescue “joker”, in order to prevent injuries related to fatigue, reports the newspaper AS.
Note that during the previous financial year, the Uruguayan international (69 selections, 8 goals) was the most used player in the world, clubs and selections combined, with 6,676 minutes of play-350 minutes more than the second in the classification, Colombian Jhon Arias (ex-Fluminense). Despite these precautions, there is no doubt that Captain Valverde will remain one of the most important elements of the workforce and the Madrid starting eleven. Witness the praise made by Xabi Alonso towards him during the Club World Cup: “I have not seen many players with his physical abilities. He reminds me of Gerrard. He can play any post, and I am very happy to have it in my workforce. All coaches would dream of having a valverde in their team. ”
