One of the biggest pending issues that Atlético de Madrid have had during the last summer transfer market has been finding a quality left-footed defender. The departure of Mario Hermoso forced the sporting management to search the market for a replacement who would perform well. However, none of the main desires ended up reaching the Metropolitano, having to settle for Clement Lenglet.
However, the French international has yet to play a single minute under Simeone , with plenty of competition ahead of him. One of the players who is taking advantage of this situation is Reinildo , who is looking to find his best form. The Mozambican had some problems last season, but seems set to return to the starting line-up.
Reinildo, a mandatory step forward
The Mozambican defender has not been at Atlético de Madrid for very long, but it didn't take long for him to become an irreplaceable piece. Reinildo landed in the Spanish capital in January 2022 to give a more than considerable leap in quality to a defense with many problems. He relegated Mario Hermoso to the bench, until last year 2023 when he suffered a torn cruciate ligament and was out for many months.
His return was not as expected, as he seemed to be far from the great form that was seen in his first season. Now, having been able to take advantage of the pre-season friendlies , it seems that Reinildo is ready to become a starter again. Simeone has given him a lot of confidence at the start of the season and the Mozambican is convinced that he can recover his best form.
Right now, his biggest competition is César Azpilicueta , who has already shown that he can play on the left side of the defence. However, Simeone's intention is to use a defender who can play with his natural leg, ruling out the Spaniard. At the moment, Reinildo is far above Clement Lenglet , who is still waiting for his big chance with the red-and-whites.
Valencia, an ideal setting
During this month of September , many rotations are expected in the Atlético team due to their busy schedule of matches. Simeone has already made several changes to his starting teams in these first four games to have the squad at 100%. However, the clash against Valencia could be an ideal scenario as they are a lower-level rival and are on the verge of their Champions League debut.
Players like Clement Lenglet could have a golden opportunity against the Valencian club to start to gain the confidence of the Argentine coach. This season, Atlético de Madrid will have to face more games than usual, needing all its players. Therefore, it is necessary that all the members that make up the red-and-white team start to get into rhythm as soon as possible.