So far this season, Samuel Lino has established himself as a key player for Atletico Madrid. Following the departure of Yannick Carrasco to Al-Shabab, Lino has taken over the mantle at left wing-back, and his performances have been getting better and better week-on-week.
Even when Carrasco was still at the club, Lino was prepared to stay and fight for a place in Diego Simeone’s first team, as he told Diario AS.
“I only thought about being here. To enjoy the moment, without thinking about what might happen next. I knew Yannick was there, that Roro (Rodrigo Riquelme) was coming back, but I just thought about working and doing my job, with a calm head and no pressure on myself about whether I was going to leave or stay. What has to happen will be what fate dictates.”
During the interview, Lino also spoke glowingly of teammate Antoine Griezmann, both as a person and a player.
“He deserves more (success). Antoine is amazing, a great person, a great guy. He always gets along well with everyone, with the new ones like Galan, Riquelme or me. He always speaks well and approaches us to give us confidence. He’s a great person and he’s showing his quality and performance. He’s a great example for everyone.”
Lino looks to be a very important player for Atletico Madrid, and if he does keep getting better, it could be a very scary prospect for the only 19 teams in La Liga.
