Iraola backs Huijsen to shine at Real Madrid
Andoni Iraola has backed departing Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen to shine at Real Madrid after his £50million move was confirmed last week.
Huijsen arrived at Bournemouth from Juventus in 2024 and has played a crucial role in its bid for European football, which ended with defeat to Manchester City in midweek.
He was also nominated for the Premier League's Young Player of the Season award, having made 31 league appearances for the Cherries this campaign.
Huijsen, who made his senior Spain debut in March, was reportedly attracting interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea, but Madrid acted quickly to secure his services.
He has averaged 4.1 progressive passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, the third-most among all centre-backs to play at least 1,500 minutes in the competition.
"I have no doubt that he's ready for this jump," Iraola said. "Real Madrid is probably the biggest club in the world, or one of the biggest, but I think he has the level.
"Not only on the football side, also the maturity, the confidence in himself to go there and perform.
"He'll have a lot of competition to play, but I trust him a lot, and I think he's going to be very good for Real Madrid."
Huijsen will play his final game for Bournemouth in front of the Vitality Stadium faithful against already-relegated Leicester City on Monday.
The Foxes signed off their home campaign in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town, where Jamie Vardy netted his 200th goal for the club in his 500th outing.
Leicester is unbeaten in its last three league games, and will want to end an otherwise underwhelming season on a high against the Cherries.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, whose future at the club remains uncertain, believes that the Foxes' latest run of form can only be a positive as they prepare for life in the second tier.
"There were some good spells in the game. I think, overall, we gave away quite a few opportunities and chances back to Ipswich," Van Nistelrooy said.
"We could have done better in a couple of moments there, where we didn't defend or press the ball as we should.
"We gave them a little bit too much, but we were capable to block the shots or they missed the opportunities so we were a bit lucky not to concede.
"But we're changing the narrative and the focus on next season, giving young players a chance and an opportunity. They are doing really well and helping the team."
