Malaga striker Juanmi has admitted he helped convince Isco to join Los Blanquiazules when the new Real Madrid signing was at Valencia.
“We were playing in a European competition and got on very well. We’d both had a good tournament and when I got back to Malaga they informed me they were interested in signing him.
“We then spoke and I told him that if he came here it could be fantastic for him and that he’d get a lot of playing time. I convinced him!” the 20-year-old revealed in an interview with AS.
Juanmi, who made his Malaga debut in a Copa del Rey match at Getafe aged just 16, returned to La Rosaleda this summer having spent last season on loan at Racing Santander, a spell that culminated in the Cantabrians being relegated from La Segunda. However, he believes it was a positive experience.
“I took a lot of positives out of it, although it’s true I didn’t have much luck in front of goal. But those are things that happen to forwards and now I’m keen to show the new boss [Bernd Schuster] that I deserve a place in the side.
“At Racing I learned how to experience a different type of situation, that of a team at the bottom, but I wish them the best of luck.
“I had a good time there despite missing a lot of things I have here at home, but you get used to it. It’s somewhere I matured and I’ve come back stronger with a much clearer idea of what I want.
“It’s a shame they went down because they are one of La Primera’s historical teams with great fans.
“Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to being a success with my hometown team in front of supporters that I love,” he asserted.
