REAL MADRID
"Miguel Gutiérrez will be a top player, he's perfect for Madrid"
David Gordo, the under-17 Spain manager, has watched Gutiérrez' improvement and says he is the perfect left-back for Real Madrid with all the quality needed.
Few people know Miguel Gutiérrez better than David Gordo, the current manager of Spain's under-17 side. Zidane has 'signed' the Madrid-born youngster to train with the first team in recent days and he looks ready to make the leap in the coming days. Gordo has been on hand to watch almost every step of Gutiérrez' rise in recent years.
Gordo says if given the time to shine, the defender will excel. "If they give him minutes and he plays games, he will be a top left-back. He has the characteristics of the perfect left-back for Real Madrid," he says. "He is a Primera-level player, for sure."
And there is nobody better than Gordo to assess the defender's current skills: "He has quality, ability to get forward, a nice strike, he is ambitious and he has a winning mentality... he has a very bright future."
Gutiérrez was on the bench for Spain's European under-19 victory in Armenia last summer with Miranda as the starter. Manager, Santi Denia, has explained why: "Miguel was born in 2001 and this tournament is for those born in 2001. He has moved one year ahead of his age group where he is the undeniable starter. This experience has served to mature him."
The 18-year-old made his debut under Zidane in the Audi Cup against Fenerbahçe and he did well. He is currently studying a sports science degree and will be one of Raúl's key pieces at Castilla next season. But in the future, he will be a Primera player as Gordo says.