Athletic’s academy alumni drive Racing’s promotion to Primera | OneFootball

Racing have sealed promotion to Primera with two Lezama loanees and three former Athletic players. The campaign has been shaped by Iñigo Vicente, Manex Lozano, Asier Villalibre, Jokin Ezkieta and Peio Canales, with Canales and Lozano to return.

According to El Correo, Vicente is Racing’s reference point and his numbers have been given scant importance at Athletic. He leads this season’s assist charts on 19 and ranks third for assists across the big five leagues and Segunda. José Alberto has trusted him, and with 60 career assists he is the division’s all-time leading provider, involved in 39 of Racing’s 58 goals.

Lozano’s loan underscored the eye for talent of sporting director Chema Aragón. He debuted against Barcelona in the Cup and impressed, only for his progress to be halted by a right-knee anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered in training on six February.

Canales has emerged as one of Segunda’s revelations. He has five goals and eight assists, and his market valuation has jumped from one million last summer, while at Athletic, to eight million today.

Villalibre is enjoying one of his most ruthless seasons, with 15 goals and two assists in just 1,298 minutes, a strike every 86 minutes.

Ezkieta is not at his best, yet he has mattered. A switch in goal has paid off for Racing and, since the Scandinavian arrived, the team have put together four wins and one draw.

Source: El Correo