Former Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes believes ‘traditional striker’ Mariano Diaz is ‘exactly’ what his former club needed.
Morientes netted 99 goals for Los Blancos and believes Mariano, a summer arrival from Olympique Lyonnais, is the perfect fit for Madrid’s squad.
“Mariano is exactly the type of player who Madrid needed,” Morientes is cited as saying by Diario AS.
“He is a traditional number nine striker, a natural striker who has developed over the last year and is ready for the first-team squad.
“(Karim) Benzema will still be first choice but he is move of a number 10 and is often deployed more from the flank cutting inside, but you need to have that central striker to play at some point.
“Mariano has developed in the French league, which was the perfect step for him to improve and he has done so, now I believe he has more value and has the mentality for a place at Madrid.”
