The head coach of Real Madrid, Julen Lopetegui, said in his first press conference in the United States that he is excited about the opportunity to build a competitive team without one of the best players in the club's history, Cristiano Ronaldo.
This summer, J. Lopetegui took over as Real's coach after Zinedine Zidane left the team. The coach faces a serious challenge - to assemble a successful team that has lost guaranteed 40 goals from one man.
Interestingly, Real and J. Lopetegui are not looking for a replacement for C. Ronaldo - the coach mentioned in the press conference that there might not be a new attacker arriving this summer.
"As a coach, it excites me to build a competitive team without Cristiano," said J. Lopetegui. "I have immense respect for this man, who is one of the best players in this club's history. He left here leaving a huge mark - and for that, we are grateful to him."
J. Lopetegui admitted that he expects Gareth Bale to take on a leadership role in the upcoming season: "We hope Gareth will have a great year because we expect a lot from him. We are working together to help him achieve his best form. I am happy with the squad I have. I am confident that with it, we can achieve all our desired goals.
If more players do not arrive at the club, I will still be a happy coach. I am not here to talk about player speculations. We have a great squad with which we can continue to successfully defend the honor of this amazing club," added the Spaniard.
Real's team will have their first friendly match tonight - at 3 am Lithuanian time, they will meet Manchester United in Miami.
