Unai Nunez He was the last player to arrive at Athletic. The centre-back from Repelega returns to what was his home for many years on loan from Celta for this season. The Biscayan comes to reinforce the axis of the defence, the weakest line last season. Now he will have to ‘fight’ with Yeray, Vivian and Walls to earn a place and get the minutes he didn’t get in the 21-22 campaign before leaving for the Galician team. “I’m very happy to have returned home, which I consider my home. In Lezama every year you find something new, but always for the better. The facilities are spectacular so that all the kids from the youth team can make the progress they need to be able to help the first team,” he said today in Lezama.
The Biscayan has explained how all the progress that has ended with his return to Athletic has developed: “Celta had to sign me with a mandatory purchase option, they executed it as it had to be and they found themselves with some financial problems. They had to release a few players and that is when the possibility of returning home came into play, I didn’t think twice. The clubs came to an agreement and I was lucky enough to come here to be able to help the club of my life and the teammates who are friends of mine.”
The defender arrives as a more experienced player, who had played most of the matches for the Vigo team until Claudio Giráldez arrived. “I left here two years ago, which is not that long. I was a younger kid with less experience. Going abroad makes you see life in a different way, it forces you to mature, so to speak. In these two years I have gained important experience to help the team. When you leave Athletic it is very difficult to return and at least I have had the luck and the opportunity to be able to return. I am the same kid but I have more games under my belt. That experience and those experiences outside of Lezama will be good for the team and also for me personally. I am super grateful and very happy,” he acknowledged.
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In principle, Yeray and Vivian They start with the label of headliners, with Walls as the third centre-back. What is your personal challenge?: “I went looking for minutes, I have been lucky enough to be able to play practically all of them. I have gained enough experience to have the mentality to be able to help the team achieve the objectives that we all want. I am here to contribute as much as possible so that the team ends better than last year, which is very difficult. The objective is to be at the level of what they did last year. To make things difficult for them. Ernesto to be able to play as many minutes as possible.”
The footballer does not see himself as the fourth centre-back, the one who in principle has fewer options to play: “In all the squads there are four centre-backs, those four centre-backs train every day to show the manager that they can play. I have come with the idea of being able to train and show the manager that he can count on me. I have come to help the squad to be better. There are many games, I want to play, that is clear. I am going to give everything to be able to play as many minutes as possible.”
Nuñez trained for the first time with his teammates last Thursday, he was included in the squad to receive Atlético but did not play. In these days he has already had time to speak with Valverde“He told me to work hard and that minutes are not given away to anyone. That with work opportunities will come and we have to take advantage of them. I have come to work and help the team, there are many competitions and matches and we are going to need everyone,” he said about the carousel of matches that Athletic has this season with the League, Cup, Europa League and Super Cup.
