Nuno excited about new arrivals

Nuno Santo believes Valencia will be “much stronger” with the additions of Zakaria Bakkali, Santi Mina and Danilo Barbosa next season.

Speaking ahead of Los Blancos’ International Champions Cup opener against Bayern Munich in Beijing on Saturday, the Coach spoke of his delight at securing the trio of starlets and also paid tribute to the club’s fans for their continued support.

“[We’ll be] much stronger [with Bakkali, Mina and Barbosa],” he said.

“[On the squad welcoming the trio with open arms], that’s how it should be.

“It’s part of the squad’s remit to show them the way. They come with great enthusiasm, are young and can make many important contributions, but they need to grow and become fully integrated.

“The players have done their homework [during the summer holidays] and have returned [to training] in very good shape.

“We plan to keep working. [Bayern] are a great team and it suits us to play against a team like this now as we’re already thinking about what awaits us in August.

“I was shocked [to see 3,000 fans at our first training session of pre-season]. It was impressive.

“None of us expected that the fans would attend on a day like this to support us. It demonstrates the bond that exists [between the fans and players] and encourages the players to keep working.

“Much of what we achieved at Mestalla [last season] was thanks to the fans, who supported us upon their arrival at the stadium.

“All these gestures must be repeated. We work hard to show that we never give up or give up on a lost ball, and our fans make sure our opponents know what Mestalla is all about.”

Tags Bayern Munich Danilo Barbosa International Champions Cup Nuno Espirito Santo Santi Mina Zakaria Bakkali
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