Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde has confirmed that a member of his squad without a single La Liga appearance to his name thus far this season will feature from the off in the club’s next outing.
The player in question? Julen Agirrezabala.
Shot-stopper Agirrezabala, for his part, has been forced to watch on from the bench across the campaign to date, acting as backup to the first-choice Unai Simón.
The 23-year-old, though, has been afforded a chance to impress in the cup, playing a central role in Los Leones marching all the way to the finale of the Copa del Rey.
In fact, across his four appearances in the competition to date, Agirrezabala has managed a trio of clean sheets.
With the Copa showpiece set to play out this coming week, boss Ernesto Valverde evidently feels it only right to therefore hand his no.2 a chance to work his way into form by way of competitive action in the league, too.
Agirrezabala, as a result, will take his place between the posts for the very first time in La Liga this season on Sunday night, against none other than Real Madrid.
“Yes, Julen (Aguirrezabala, instead of Unai Simón) is going to play tomorrow,” Valverde confirmed, as cited by Diario Sport. “The goalkeepers have known it since last week. We trust them both and we are happy with them.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
