Vallejo: the Real Madrid defender taking the Bundesliga by storm
Niko Kovac has said he's "never seen anything like him" while his teammates have hailed him Eintracht's best player. In Germany, everyone is talking about Real Madrid's on loan 19-year old, Jesús Vallejo.
The explosion of Jesús Vallejo in the Bundesliga has left German football astonished in recent weeks.
The Real Madrid defender – who’s currently serving a year-long loan at Eintracht Frankfurt – is already being labelled one of the revelations of the season after a string of impressive performances.
"The kid is outstanding"
“I’ve never seen a player like him, not as a footballer or as a trainer. The kid is outstanding,” current Eintracht coach and ex-Bayern Munich midfielder Niko Kovic has said of the 19-year old.
“Right now he’s our best player. Vallejo makes my job easier,” is another example of the high praise the young Spaniard has received – this time from the Bundesliga side’s goalkeeper, Hrdecky.
In the German press, meanwhile, they’re still talking about the nutmeg he did on Arjen Robben and the extraordinary race he won against Halilovic. The prestigious magazine, Kicker, has even included him in their list of the Bundesliga’s best 15 players in 2016/17 so far.
“He’s a machine,” wrote local newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau earlier this month.
"My motivation is to play at Real Madrid"
Vallejo, who grew up idolising Gabi Milito and has played nine games since joining the club in the summer, revealed to AS in a recent interview: “My motivation is to play at Real Madrid someday.”
Real Madrid, unsurprisingly, are keeping close tabs on the player’s progress. Los Blancos paid €2m for him two years ago and consider him as a footballer with an “enormous future”.
Frankfurt keen on loan extension
Also unsurprisingly, Eintracht have made their intentions public to extend Vallejo’s loan spell for another season, with sporting director Fredi Bobic planning to travel to Madrid to know first-hand the Spanish club’s stance.
Vallejo – who was captain of Spain’s victorious under-19 side at the European Championships in 2015 – is said to be taking it all in his stride though, and aside from concentrating on his form at Frankfurt is also studying a sports science degree.