Former Atletico Madrid coach lauds the ability of Thomas Partey

Former Atletico Madrid coach Alfredo Santaelena has heaped praise on midfielder Thomas Partey and believes the Ghana international has evolved into a crucial performer for Diego Simeone’s side. Partey has played in multiple positions for Atleti since graduating through the academy ranks but he has settled into a defensive midfield during the current campaign.

Partey has already made nine appearances for the Spanish outfit this term and he has contributed a couple of goals including a late winner against Eibar after coming off the bench. Speaking to Marca, Santaelena said that Partey was always destined to make it to the top and Simeone had no doubts over the midfielder’s ability when he was initially promoted to the first-team.

He told: "You could see how good he would become ever since he arrived at the academy. Right now, he's the boss of the team, the Gabi [Fernandez] that played in front of the back four for all those years. Cholo went for him quickly because when you see a boy with this quality, who is a wonder physically and who improves tactically and grows, well he was always going to end up among the elite."

Atleti made a superb start to the league campaign with three victories on the bounce but they have since lost the plot with just six points accumulated from the next five matches. As a result, the Capital outfit are trailing leaders Real Madrid by a three-point gap at the moment and they have a tricky schedule following the international break.

The Madrid giants are scheduled to face Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Sevilla in three of the next four league games and besides this, they need to concentrate on the Champions League where they have a crucial double header against Bayer Leverkusen. Atleti are currently second in their Champions League group with a one-point advantage over Lokomotiv Moscow.