Diego Simeone has vowed to make Julian Alvarez “feel as important as he has always been” when he returns to the Atletico Madrid squad.
Alvarez will be absent as Atletico face Sevilla on Saturday as the saga around his desire to join Barcelona rumbles on, with reports in Spain claiming he has submitted a medical report to the club stating he is dealing with depression.
The Argentina international was booed and walked straight down the tunnel at full-time of Atletico’s LaLiga opener, a 2-2 draw with Villarreal, having come on as a second-half substitute.
Atletico this week responded to comments from Barca president Joan Laporta by stating there is a “0% chance” of him being sold to the defending LaLiga champions, a stance the club’s board gave its unanimous approval on Thursday.
Alvarez has four years remaining on his Atletico contract and, with the club unwavering in their desire not to sell him to Barca, a move to Arsenal looks a more likely exit route for the former Manchester City forward.
But the possibility of Alvarez leaving does not appear to be on Simeone’s mind, with the Atletico boss clearly planning on having him in the team after the transfer window closes next week.
“I understand that most of the questions will be about Julian,” Simeone said at his pre-match press conference.
“The club was firm and clear in everything they explained and regarding what is going to happen. My stance remains the same: from a sporting perspective, I hope to help him in the best possible way so he can continue to be the vital player he is for us, while I focus on my own task at hand, which is Sevilla.
“Obviously, Julian won’t be available tomorrow, and we have to compete against an opponent coming off two wins and riding high on confidence; we need to steer the match in a direction where we think we can do some damage.
“When Julian returns to training, I’ll do everything possible to make him feel as important as he has always been.”
While the Atletico fans’ response to Alvarez would suggest the situation between him and the club cannot be salvaged, Simeone has a very different view.
He added: “In life, anything can be reversed as long as there is health.”
