New Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has confirmed his
admiration for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
The young Spaniard has been heavily linked with a move to Real,
despite recently stating he is happy to stay with the
Gunners.
Real sporting director Predrag Mijatovic revealed over the weekend
that the Primera Liga champions are still interested in signing the
20-year-old.
And Schuster, appointed as Real coach on Monday, has acknowledged
that Fabregas would be the type of player capable of improving his
new team.
"I like Cesc Fabregas, he plays in the same position as I did in my
playing career," said Schuster at a press conference.
"He has improved a lot in England, and learnt a lot from Arsene
Wenger, a coach who I admire and who has done over the years a very
good job with young players.
"I believe he is one of the few players in his position that can
carry a team on his back, and when I say teams, I mean quality
teams."
Meanwhile, Schuster paid tribute to his predecessor Fabio Capello,
who was sacked despite delivering a first title in four
years.
The German, who has signed a three-year contract, added: "He
achieved something very important by winning the league title last
season.
"If you don't win trophies it creates a lot of tension and so the
fact that the club has won the league title has taken a weight off
my shoulders. It will make my job that much easier.
"We all knew how hard it was to take over the team last season. In
the end he achieved a lot in terms of improving team spirit. That's
what helped the side win the league title and I'm going to make the
most of that spirit.
"It would have been a lot harder for me if the team had not won the
title. There would have been more nerves and more pressure."