midfielder Tomás Pochettino, the first incorporation of Marcelo Gallardo’s team, assured in the preseason that with his arrival at River he is fulfilled “a dream” to be able to play in a club that I wanted.
“I am in the ideal team to play and it is a dream for me, it will help my game a lot. It was what I wanted, it happened and I am happy to be here. I hope to enjoy it a lot,” Pochettino told ESPN.
He also said: “When the MLS tournament ended, I did not know that I was going to return, the possibility of a loan was given and when River appeared I did not hesitate make it the first option. It took me by surprise”.
Asked about the talks with Sebastián Driussi, his former teammate at Austin FC, he said: “Seba talks to me about his river madness, He calls me every hour, he’s dying to be here too, he gives me advice and tells me ‘get ready, you’re going to run like crazy’. It helped me a lot these days.”
Pochettino also noted: “My model is Nacho Fernandez, because of how he plays and because of how he made his career, he always was before coming to River, I always followed him and he is a model to be able to give the best in the team where I have to be”.
Regarding his first days at the club, he stated: “I’m happy, the group received me very well. The preseason is demanding, it’s a necessary suffering to then feel good on the court. The time will come to debut, now I enjoy being here.”
“With Marcelo (Gallardo) I didn’t talk that much, just before signing he welcomed me and told me he was going to find a good group, but I still haven’t talked about how to play and where. Now you have to dedicate yourself to running,” he assumed.
Finally, the midfielder who played a game in Boca and then went to Defense and Workshops, joked with his teammate, Julián Alvarez: “I got to the preseason and I have to take care of him so he doesn’t leave.”
Another of the players who spoke in the preseason was Enzo Fernandez. “I am where I want to be, where I am happy, I had a nice year and I am learning and enjoying myself, many things happened, I went to Defense and came back, everything went well.”
In dialogue with TyC Sports recalled: “When they called me about the Defense thing, he hit me, then I understood and I felt very good with the Defense coaching staff, very important titles were won, it was all very dreamy, it was not easy in my head but I convinced myself”.
“It cost me at the beginning physically -he explained-, I lacked it in the preseason of June, but as As the months went by, I began to adapt and continuously felt better and better. to help the team and my teammates”.
In addition, Fernández recognized: “Here there are a lot of identification because we are many boys from inferiors that we have played together since childhood, and that accompanied by the greats who lead the way and there is a great group”.
In another order, the team carried out a new physical training with special tasks for Matias Suarez and Felipe Pena, who are recovering from operations on their knees.
Peña, who tore his ligaments, still has three more months to recover, while Suárez, who They cleaned it last October 12, is in the stage of rehabilitation and strengthening.
As for the Cordovan, the coaching staff knows that you won’t be able to count on him until about March so the start of the League Cup will be lost, which will have 5 games in February.
Finally, the possibility of the Uruguayan joining the preseason in San Martín de los Andes was almost ruled out. Nicholas of the Cross, that continues to test positive and although it is no longer contagious, it cannot return from Uruguay.
The steering wheel, which comes from a long stop by a thrombosis and still trains differentiated, He is evaluating the possibility of returning to the country by land to join the squad next week at the Ezeiza campus.
About the players who did not sign a contract, Benjamin Rollheiser and Fabrizio Angileri, from the club they assured that “there is not and there will be no news” so that the negotiations are at a standstill.
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