Whenever a new manager takes the responsibility of a big side, first and biggest challenge that comes ahead of him is how to convince players and keep them in tact coz this is the time most of the switches happen. Real Madrid is one such side who recently fired its manager to bring Rafael Benitez after their dismissal show in the last season and ever since former Napoli boss has joined the Spanish giant he is facing a new challenge every other day – from rumors of his spat with Ronaldo to convincing unsettled players to stay at Bernabeu. Rumors were in the air off late that captain Sergio Ramos and striker Karim Benzema could move out of Spain amid their recent linkup news with Manchester United and Arsenal. Likewise, Red Devils goalie David De Gea was reportedly also keen to join the Spanish giant. Amid these reports, 55-year-old Spanish mentor only wants to keep a hold over his own players hence revealed his desire to keep Sergio and Benzema during a press meet after 4-1 International Champions Cup win over Manchester City in Melbourne and said, “Sergio has known from day one that I want him to stay and I’m sure that he’ll stay with us. I don’t know, he is not here and I don’t know. I don’t speak to Van Gaal every day. At each match we have a goalkeeper in each goal and with that I am satisfied.”
While adding about Benzema’s reported switch to Gunners, former Liverpool, Chelsea, and Inter Milan boss expressed his stiff confidence 27-year-old French would be with them in the next season and said, “I don’t know, he is not here and I don’t know. I don’t speak to Van Gaal every day. At each match we have a goalkeeper in each goal and with that I am satisfied. People are asking me about different players that maybe we will buy and I always say the same thing, ‘he’s not our player, I will not talk about that.’In this case Karim is our player so I will not talk about that. I hope, I’m sure, that he will stay with us.’”
Looking at high tuned actions happening at Santiago Bernabéu, it is obviously not going to be an easy affair for Benítez to secure all his firing weapons especially when Van Gaal is after few of his players, yet 55-year-old is confident he can settle everything with his performance in the first half of the next season itself.