Zidane: “James is in good shape, I’m happy he’s with us”

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane talked to the press in the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s La Liga opener against Celta Vigo. Zidane said he’s happy with his current roster and shared his thoughts on James and Bale, who appeared to be out of the squad but ultimately could stay in the club.

“I am happy with my players, thinking about tomorrow’s game and the players think about the same thing. We are ready to play a good game, we want to compete. I have the best players here, no doubt, I always say that. I am happy with what I have. I have spoken with the person who has to do these things and we have the players we have here, those we want. We cannot talk about the rest, we can, but we are here with the players we have,” said Zidane.

James Rodriguez has apparently earned a chance to stay in the club past this summer.

“James is fit and I am happy to have him in the squad. I will count on all who are here and they are all happy to be here,” explained the coach.

Same can be said about Bale, who appeared to be ready to move to the Chinese league.

“It looked like he was going to leave, and he is here with us now. Things can change, and now I will count on him, like the others. He is registered with us, is an important player, and I hope that all the players want to make things difficult for me to pick the team,” said Zidane.

Apparently, Carvajal is going to miss the season opener after picking up his fifth yellow card in the last game of the 2018-2019 season. However, the Spanish Consejo Superior de Deportes could ultimately approve one regulation from the Spanish Football Federation in order to revoke this suspension for the five players in La Liga who are in this situation.

“These are things that I do not control. It’s true it’s a bit difficult to accept. But we will see what happens, until the last moment. It’s not ideal, but that’s how it is,” he explained.

Zidane did not want to discuss the Pogba and Neymar rumors.

“Neymar is not a Real Madrid player. The important thing is the players who are here,” he said when asked about the Brazilian star.

“Paul is a Manchester player and we must respect that. We are here thinking of tomorrow’s game,” concluded Zidane.