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Rabat – Despite having established himself as a world-class player, Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi still wants to return to Real Madrid to reclaim the starting spot he was not never considered for while playing for the Spanish giants.
This is according to former Inter Milan head coach Antonio Conte, who stated in a recent interview that Hakimi would like to return to Real Madrid someday.
Hakimi, a product of Real Madrid’s La Fabrica football academy, has never had the chance to make an impression on the Spanish club’s first team. During his loan at Borussia Dortmund, the 22-year-old started to establish himself as one of the best players worldwide in his position.
This enabled him to prosper at Inter Milan before joining PSG this summer. Currently playing for the French giants, the Moroccan right-back is said to still be dreaming of a return to Real Madrid.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia on September 15, Antonio Conte revealed that the Moroccan right-back regrets not having played for a long time with the Spanish giants.
“Psychologically Hakimi suffered a bit from last year’s matches with Real Madrid,” the Italian head coach said. “His dream is to return to play with that club as a key man.”
The 52-year-old manager claimed that Hakimi had a difficult time when he faced Real Madrid last season in the Champions League. “I remember those two games very well, in particular the unfortunate passage that led to them going a goal up in Spain. From there he worked hard and I saw a young player who wanted to learn to work.”
“He understood that what he did in the offensive phase was not enough,” Conte continued, “he needed a bit of help and now he is among the strongest in the world. If he still works on the last pass he can be world-class.”
Achraf Hakimi has enjoyed a good debut in France’s Ligue 1, significantly contributing to his team’s five wins by scoring one goal and setting up two. Hakimi is already an established world-class player, and many expect the 37-capped Moroccan international to become a Ligue 1 and worldwide sensation.
PSG’s head coach Mauricio Pochettino has also praised his new player. “He has a great capacity to run, his physical potential is huge. He is young, he’s maturing at the defensive level, but he makes a lot of contributions in the attack,” Pochettino has said of Hakimi.
“Achraf [Hakimi] is a young player I have been following since I was at Tottenham. We were on the edge of signing him for Tottenham, but then he went to play for Dortmund.”
