Navarro starts where he left off at Athletic | OneFootball

Robert Navarro has started pre-season where he left off, hitting braces in successive run-outs and pushing for a starting place under Terzic at Athletic. As reported by as.com, he has proved effective on either flank and as a No 10.

Last season he won over Ernesto Valverde and finished as Athletic’s second top scorer, with six in La Liga and two in the Champions League. He played 44 games, 25 of them off the bench. Only Gorka Guruzeta, on 17, scored more.

He arrived a year ago to real expectation, a long-standing Lezama target who joined on a free after leaving Real Sociedad following a bridging spell at Mallorca. Adapting to Valverde’s high-intensity game took time, but injuries in attack, notably to Nico Williams, opened the door. He became the ideal impact option and now wants to cement a starting berth.

He struck twice against Derio and did the same against Leioa. With him on the pitch in the first half, Athletic scored seven and he was involved in four.

He opened the scoring after seven minutes, controlling Areso’s pass and finishing beyond the keeper. He then sparked the third, Guruzeta’s first, by releasing Johaneko to cross. The striker’s second followed a Navarro drive that was parried, before Navarro added his own second on the half-hour with a surging run and finish.

He rounded off his display by whipping a free-kick from the right onto Guruzeta’s head, completing the forward’s hat-trick.

Terzic’s shape, something like a three-four-three with a midfield box, suits Navarro, who tucks inside to create overloads and leaves the lane to the full-back. He is working to sharpen his aggression after losing the ball, a point Valverde had long stressed. His physical uptick is clear, and technically he is among the squad’s best.

Source: as.com