Real Madrid News: Diego Forlan backs Federico Valverde to become the next Uruguayan superstar

Former Manchester United and Atletico Madrid footballer Diego Forlan has revealed his high hopes for countryman and rising Real Madrid star Federico Valverde. Forlan, who was recently unveiled as the new Penarol Head Coach, actually played together with Valverde at the Uruguayan club in 2015. In an interview with Spanish news outlet AS, the two-time Pichichi and European Golden Boot winner revealed that he saw early signs of greatness while playing alongside his countryman.

You could already see key signs of great talent and already at the age of 17, he was a strong player with a great ability to read the game.

Forlan remembered Valverde being very fast and also possessing tremendous shooting power ("a rocket shot"), and revealed that everyone at the club believed that he could become a great player in the future. The youngster was very impressive at the youth level for Penarol and even broke into the first team in the 2015/16 season. He came under the radar of quite a few clubs in Europe and was ultimately picked up by Real Madrid in the summer of 2016.

Forlan always knew Valverde was destined for greatness

After arriving in Spain, Valverde continued his development in the Real Madrid academy, impressing for Real Madrid Castilla in the 2016/17 season and was loaned out to Deportivo La Coruna the following year. Last season, he made 25 appearances for Real Madrid and has already featured 18 times this term, scoring twice. The 21-year-old’s steady rise has caught the eye of fans around the world, but it comes as no surprise to Forlan, who always knew Valverde was destined for greatness.

To be honest, I am not [surprised with his performances this season]. I had no doubts about the player, and my doubts were more reserved for the club.

Forlan went on to explain how sending young players out on loan does not always work out, with players often ending up building their careers at the clubs they are loaned to. However, the Uruguayan was happy that Valverde enjoyed a good loan spell and also revealed his satisfaction at Real Madrid’s handling of his countryman.

Real Madrid showed great patience with him and over time he’s starting to show us the great player we all knew he could be.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner also predicted a bright future for Valverde with his nation, even stating that there are no limits to what the youngster can achieve.

There’s no ceiling, he's just 21 and is already playing really well. I said some years back, that he will be the standard-bearer in the future for Uruguayan football.

Forlan believes that Valverde works best in a central role, from where the Real Madrid midfielder can score, set up goals, and trackback to help his team out. He also expressed his pride at his nation’s continuous trend of producing talented players and revealed that he was not surprised at the number of brilliant midfielders emerging out of the country recently.

It's no major surprise[the recent emergence of midfielders] as we're lucky in Uruguay to be able to produce great players who go on to play with Europe's biggest clubs and I hope that it's a trend we can maintain for years to come.