José Alberto says Racing’s internationals have returned tired

José Alberto acknowledges that Racing’s international players have returned tired. Three players joined their national teams during the break: Jorge Salinas, Pablo García and Yassir Zabiri. Salinas played just one match with the under-20 side, while Pablo García and Zabiri were away for almost the entire break.

The other two, however, had different amounts of playing time. Pablo García played both full matches with the under-21 side, while the Moroccan international had few minutes with his national team. The coach also praised Pablo García’s versatility and eye for goal: “Pablo García can play as a winger, second striker or centre-forward. He is a goalscorer, and anything he does close to the opposition’s penalty area has a strong chance of success. With Spain, he played as a right winger and scored many goals there.”

After their time with their national teams, José Alberto said: “Yassir and Pablo have come back tired. We’ll see how they feel after tomorrow’s session, and then we’ll decide whether they’ll take part.” Racing is due to hold its final training session on Saturday before the match against Valencia, when Zabiri and Pablo García’s chances of starting will be assessed. Andrés Martín is also available to José Alberto and could play a few minutes against Valencia.