‘Munir reminds me of Raul’

Vicente del Bosque’s No 2, Toni Grande, says Barcelona’s Munir El Haddadi reminds him of Real Madrid legend Raul.

Munir made his debut for the Spain national team in the 5-1 cruise over Macedonia on Monday, replacing Koke after 77 minutes at the Ciutat de Valencia, despite having played just two La Liga games for his club.

“Munir reminds me of Raul at the beginning of his career. He has similar characteristics…and look how far Raul went!” he told Radio Barcelona’s Que t’hi Juegues! programme.

Nonetheless, Grande believes the 19-year-old still has further progress to make before he gains a foothold amongst the game’s top stars.

“He has some very good features in his game but still has to show much more. With cases like Munir you need to be careful because of his age, but in this case the people who surround him, such as family and friends, are more important than the national team.

“The first time I saw him live was this summer when he was playing for Barca in pre-season, although [Under-21 boss] Albert Celades had spoken very highly of him, so we knew what he was about.

“With Munir we will make him aware of the difficulties of the challenge he faces. He has a great future, but it all depends on hard work,” he advised.

Tags Del Bosque Munir El-Haddadi Raul Spain Toni Grande
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