Iñaki Rupérez handed second chance at Real Sociedad | OneFootball

Iñaki Rupérez returned to action with Real Sociedad, playing his first minutes of the season in the final league match at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium.

According to AS, the Navarrese full-back rejoined the squad in May under Pellegrino Matarazzo after a serious injury at the end of last pre-season halted his rise following an impressive summer.

He now starts from scratch, using the summer to regain match sharpness and prove his qualities remain intact. He views the coming weeks as a new chance to reproduce his pre-surgery level.

The defensive picture offers him an opening, with Aritz Elustondo departing and Álvaro Odriozola sidelined, which leaves the right flank short. The club will bring in a centre-back this summer who could, in some circumstances, cover on the right, but the only natural right-backs for now are Jon Aramburu and Iñaki Rupérez until Odriozola returns.

The academy graduate’s immediate goal is to establish himself as Aramburu’s direct understudy at right-back. The staff recognise his physical and technical potential, which he must showcase again in friendlies. The coming weeks of hard work will determine whether he seizes this second chance in a campaign spanning four competitions.

Source: AS