In among the Luis Suarez-led chaos that was Uruguay’s World Cup campaign last summer, there were the calm, composed performances of one of the youngest players at the tournament.

After the Suarez-less Uruguayans suffered a shock 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica in their opening match, the then teenage centre-back Jose Gimenez came into the team for the ageing Diego Lugano, and order was restored.

Gimenez’s performances in the wins over England and Italy, which put Uruguay into the last 16 didn’t hit the headlines due to the deeds—both good and bad—of Suarez, but it was hard to believe this was a player who had featured just twice for his club Atletico Madrid the previous season.

Playing alongside his club colleague Diego Godin, Gimenez was assured and not afraid to put challenges in, not being overawed by the reputations of opponents such as Wayne Rooney and Mario Balotelli. Where some players often seem to get forever billed as “one for the future,” here was Gimenez making an impact in the here and now.

The reason that Atletico fans had seen so little of a player their club had signed from Danubio the previous summer was due to the form of Godin and Miranda, the central defensive pairing which shone as Atletico won La Liga and came within a whisker of winning the Champions League.

He managed to appear 26 times in all competitions in the 2014/15 season—memorably scoring in a win over Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey—but always as an understudy to one of the best centre-back partnerships in the European game, a pairing which has now been broken up due to Miranda’s move to Inter Milan.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the Brazilian’s £10.6 million switch to Serie A brings to an end a successful four-year stay in Madrid for a player who came, along with Godin and others, to embody the spirit instilled in the team by Diego Simeone.

Having arrived at the club from Sao Paulo in 2011, Miranda leaves having just captained Brazil at the Copa America, a remarkable rise and a reference point for Gimenez for the months and years ahead. Atletico is a club where reputations have come to be forged in recent years, none more so that Simeone’s, and he could be able to see the same qualities in his young defender.

An all-Uruguayan pairing with Godin is now a real possibility as Simeone shapes his team for the challenges ahead in 2015/16, with the 20-year-old’s skill set complementing a player who is nine years his senior.

He has just as many caps for Uruguay as La Liga appearances for Atletico, but the sale of Miranda gives Gimenez the perfect chance to earn the trust of Simeone in the same way he has with his national team manager Oscar Tabarez.

One of the standout young defenders in the world game, Gimenez’s presence will save Simeone the task of trying to replace Miranda with a big-money signing, as a new Atletico back line is formed.

As is always the case with young defenders, his manager will have to show a great deal of patience and bravery in selecting him, but if the Atletico boss does choose Gimenez to be Miranda’s long-term replacement then you get the feeling that he’s going to be rewarded.

And with no Suarez around the steal the headlines, we might soon be talking about the 20-year-old centre-back a lot more.

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1NwGRg4
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