Koke broke into the Atletico Madrid team as a teenager and never looked back, racking up a historic number of appearances for his boyhood team.
Now it looks like he could pass the baton on to the next generation. With the iconic central midfielder out, his place at the base of midfield could be taken by Atletico youth product Pablo Barrios.
AS say that the 20 year old is favourite to play in Koke’s place against Rayo on Monday night. It will be a big step up for the youngster, but after playing in preseason he has earned increasing faith from manager Diego Simeone, who had the following to say about his charge:
“He can play in the three or four spaces in the middle, either further wide or in the middle. He’s offensively capable when called upon, and when he has to stay more compact he can do that too.”
That kind of versatility is what will always help a player earn first team minutes. We will see how he gets on against Rayo – this could well end up being the crucial moment in his career as he looks to kick on and make his way in the first team, just as his predecessor Koke did.
