One of the big absentees for Atletico Madrid since the return of competitive football has been Rodrigo De Paul. The Argentine put in several dominating performances to help his nation win the World Cup for the first time since 1986 last month, but has yet play a single minute since the final in Doha.
De Paul has been on the bench for the last couple of matches, including the defeat against league leaders Barcelona. The midfielder has been linked with a move away from the club this window, and his lack of appearances have done little to dispel those rumours.
Thankfully for Atleti, Diego Simeone has confirmed that De Paul will play during Wednesday’s Copa del Rey tie at Levante, in which will be his first match for the club since the victory over Almazan, which was also in the Copa.
“Yes, (De Paul) is going to play tomorrow.”
De Paul has struggled for form this season in domestic football, so both he and Atleti will be hopeful that his World Cup exploits prove to be a catalyst for good performances during the second half of the campaign.
