He was Xabi Alonso’s star pupil coming through the youth team at Real Sociedad, now Martin Zubimendi is ready to play in the old master’s position on Thursday night at Old Trafford.
He is as articulate on the art of the being a holding midfielder as he is composed on the ball, and even has the same knack for not getting sent off as tonight’s opponent Casemiro, who he says was the ‘perfect’ player for Real Madrid.
And Zubimendi is positive about Real Sociedad’s future even after they sold Alexander Isak to Newcastle for £63m, a player he believes will definitely turn out to be worth the money.
Martin Zubimendi was Xabi Alonso’s star pupil coming through the youth team at Real Sociedad – now he is ready to play in the old master’s position on Thursday at Old Trafford
The defensive midfielder has risen through the ranks to play a key role for the LaLiga outfit
He said: ‘I couldn’t really appreciate him [Alonso] at the time he signed for Liverpool because I was only five years old.
‘But by the time he was at Real Madrid I fully understood what a player he was. Then I learned what he had done at Liverpool and I could watch videos of his games.
‘When Xabi took over (as Real Sociedad youth team coach in 2020) that is when I started playing regularly.
‘I learned to appreciate the different ways teams press you (when you are bringing the ball out from the back) and how to tailor the way you come out with the ball accordingly.
‘He put a lot of emphasis on analysing the opposition, putting training ground mannequins out on the pitch in the positions he anticipated the next rival would try to press us.
‘I could feel the affection he had for me, which maybe comes from being from the same place and sharing a position too. He made special a point of teaching me things.’
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Alonso, who took over as Sociedad youth coach in 2020, helped guide the progress of young protege Zubimendi, who plays the same position
Alonso left as Real Sociedad’s B team coach in May after their relegation from the second tier
Under-21 international Zubimendi, who has one cap for the senior team, has been tipped to take over from Sergio Busquets in the Spain team one day but shies away from direct comparisons.
‘Busquets is unique as a holding midfielder. He is very good at what he does: the feints, the interceptions and he is very clever in the way he presses in a forward direction after the ball is lost.
‘I think he finds it…