Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone: 'Luciano Vietto must wait his turn'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 14 September 2015

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone says that Luciano Vietto must wait his turn this season, but is confident that the forward will impress for his new club.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is confident that Luciano Vietto will make an impact when the Argentine is given a chance to shine.

The 21-year-old joined Atletico from Villarreal in the summer transfer window, but has not appeared for his new club this season.

Simeone has said that the forward will have to wait his turn, in the same way that the likes of Koke, Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann did in the early stages of their careers at the Vicente Calderon.

"[Luciano] Vietto is a boy I gave a debut to in Argentina. He's had his first year in European football with Villarreal at a very high level. Obviously we wanted to bring him here so he can provide greater competition up front. He has the attributes the squad needs," he told UEFA.com.

"He's a good forward who can play as a second striker. He can get assists and goals and is a hard worker. Of course he'll have to develop. I always tell the new players that when I joined as coach, Koke wasn't a starter.

"When Diego Costa came here after loan spells elsewhere, he wasn't a starter. When Jan Oblak arrived, he wasn't a starter. When Antoine Griezmann arrived, he wasn't a starter. The new boys need to integrate as well as possible so they quickly understand what the team need."

Vietto, who cost Atletico in the region of £15m, hit 20 goals in 48 games for Villarreal last season.