FIFA World Cup: Head coach Edin Terzic has revealed he has remained in regular contact with Athletic Bilbao’s three World Cup-winning stars as he prepares the club for the new La Liga season.The former Borussia Dortmund coach replaced Ernesto Valverde this summer, taking over from the veteran manager, who guided Athletic across three spells spanning a decade.
Athletic have made a positive start to pre-season, winning their opening three warm-up matches against lower-division opponents despite the absence of Spain internationals Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte and Unai Simón, all of whom played key roles in Spain’s FIFA World Cup triumph.
The trio has been given three weeks of vacation before returning to the club, but Terzic insisted there is no rush to bring them back after watching his side register a 2-0 win over fourth-tier side Sestao River.
“We hope that in the future we can have more champions. For us as a coaching staff and for the club, it is very important. We’re very proud that these players are part of our group and our dressing room,” Terzic said as quoted by Xinhua.
The Athletic coach added that he has maintained communication with all the club’s players who featured at the World Cup, including Ghana captain and Athletic skipper Inaki Williams.
Terzic also played down speculation linking Laporte with a move to Barcelona. The Spain defender returned to Athletic, where he began his professional career, at the start of last season, while Barcelona have also been linked with Nico Williams over the past two summers.
Article Source: IANS
