Arab News | Mourinho praises ‘incredible’ Guler amid battle for minutes

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hailed playmaker Arda Guler on Monday ahead of the team’s visit to face Elche in La Liga.

The Turkish midfielder came on as a substitute in Madrid’s 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday and helped steady the team when they were wobbling under pressure.

Guler is not assured of a starting place at Madrid, with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all part of Mourinho’s regular side.

The 21-year-old is competing with record signing Yan Diomande and Brahim Diaz among others for minutes, ahead of the central midfield duo.

“There are people more qualified than me to talk about his development, people who have been here since he arrived, about how he’s transformed physically,” Mourinho told reporters.

“But for me, his quality of play is incredible — his vision, his decision-making, his playmaking, the stability he brings to the team, his creativity…

“For me, he’s a player with fantastic potential who already has some very impressive stats.”

Guler has shown he has a strong link with Mbappe on the pitch, regularly combining well with the French forward, including for Madrid’s fourth goal against Rayo.

Mourinho said he would not go completely overboard with praise for Guler, who arrived from Fenerbahce in 2023.

“Maybe I don’t want to go so far as to say ‘top, top, top’ three times, but I can definitely say ‘top, top’,” joked the Portuguese coach.

One player still looking for his best form at Madrid is Vinicius.

The Brazilian winger has scored one goal this season and Mourinho reiterated his view that Vinicius is still not at his best.

“The best version of him is scoring goals. Obviously, assisting is important, working for the team is very important. Commitment, solidarity, and teamwork are very important,” said Mourinho.

“But there’s another Vinicius, the Vinicius who arrived in Lisbon last season (in the Champions League) and in close matches, in the knockout rounds, gets one chance, scores a goal and that’s it.

“He’s lacking that top-level performance lately, but I am happy with him.”

Second-placed Madrid trail La Liga leaders Barcelona, who boast a 100 percent record, by three points.