Dean Huijsen arrives at the Christmas break at a particularly delicate moment. Halfway through his first season with Real Madrid, the club’s most expensive centre-back at €58 million has shifted from early enthusiasm to intense scrutiny under the unforgiving spotlight of the Santiago Bernabéu. His performance against Sevilla included several individual mistakes and, for the first time, drew hesitant boos from the stands.

Despite the growing pressure, several former Real Madrid centre-backs have publicly defended the young defender in AS. Manolo Sanchís expressed strong belief in Huijsen’s potential, saying, “He’s a footballer with fantastic qualities to play as a centre-back. I’m fascinated by his ability to play the ball out from the back. He has the age and the capacity to correct his weaknesses, and I’m convinced he’s going to become a very important player for Real Madrid.”

Rafa Alkorta also played down the criticism, pointing to the difficulty of adapting to the demands of the club. “It’s not easy to adjust to what playing for Real Madrid requires,” he said. “He has a magnificent future. What he needs to improve most is his aggressiveness in duels.”

Iván Campo focused on the mental side of the game, stressing the constant demands placed on players at the Bernabéu. “Real Madrid forces you to be at an extremely high level at all times,” he explained. “He needs to improve so he doesn’t have lapses in concentration.”

Age was another recurring theme in the assessments. Paco Pavón reminded observers that “we must not forget he’s only 20 years old,” while Fernando Sanz called for greater efficiency, stating, “He needs to strengthen his game by being more decisive and effective.”

Support has even come from the national team setup. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente defended Huijsen by highlighting his maturity, saying, “For his age, he is very mature. He is a centre-back you can trust completely.”

********************************************************

You can now download the Madridista News App for free on the Apple Store and Google Play.

You can follow us on Facebook here.

You can follow us on X (Twitter) here.                                                                    

You can follow us on Instagram here.

You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

You can follow us on Telegram here.

You can follow us on TikTok here.

You can join our WhatsApp channel here.