Unai Núñez earns his place in Valencia defence | OneFootball

Unai Núñez has swiftly become an undisputed starter for Valencia, stringing together four consecutive starts and providing Carlos Corberán with security at the back.

He arrived in the final week of the winter window after Mouctar Diakhaby’s long-term injury forced Valencia into the market. AS reports that the club chose Núñez, who had been featuring regularly in Calcio but sought a change of scene.

With Tárrega troubled by fitness issues and Copete and Diakhaby out for the season, the door opened for the defender, who quietly claimed a place in the XI. Núñez played down his status after the win over Osasuna at Mestalla, saying everyone is working to start or be ready when needed and that the focus is to work as hard as possible to stay high up the table.

He has appeared three times as a third centre-back or at right-back, and yesterday lined up centrally alongside Cömert with strong results.

Facing the craft of Víctor Muñoz, Raúl Moro and Rubén García, and the physicality of Ante Budumir, he handled his duels efficiently and helped secure a clean sheet. He stressed the value of not conceding home or away, praising the collective defensive effort and noting how the team dealt with the crosses that followed the goal.

Corberán now has a dependable pillar in a side rebuilding from the back, with the centre-back a major factor in their current upturn.

Source: AS