There was much fanfare when Atletico Madrid secured the signing of Arthur Vermeeren from Royal Antwerp. However, in the two months since his arrival, he has hardly played, with head coach Diego Simeone opting to take a very slow approach with the Belgian teenager’s integration.
Vermeeren has played more minutes for Belgium (90) than Atleti (83) since he joined in January, with the likes of Koke Resurreccion, Rodrigo De Paul, Saul Niguez, Marcos Llorente and Pablo Barrios all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Simeone addressed Vermeeren’s situation ahead of Atleti’s trip to Villarreal on Monday evening, as per Diario AS. He told the media that patience is required with the young midfielder, whose time will come.
“He has adapted with humility and respect to his teammates, from the place he was given. I have no doubt that he will be able to help from the moment we can accompany him and give him the confidence that is needed to have continuity. He needs time, patience.”
“We know he’s a good player, and we know we’re going to need him.”
It doesn’t look likely that Vermeeren will play much between now and the end of the season, with Atletico Madrid looked in a battle for the Champions League places with Athletic Club. It’s expected that his time will come next season.
