Real Madrid icon Toni Kroos was full of praise for the club's exciting summer arrival Arda Guler, lauding the teenager's technique and temperament.
Carlo Ancelotti's side outmanouvered fierce rivals Barcelona in the race for Guler's signature this summer. The prodigious Turkey international had a £15m buyout clause in his Fenerbahce contract which ignited the interest of Europe's elite.
Barcelona and Real Madrid emerged as frontrunners in the pursuit of Guler as both were willing to pay a fee of £17.1m in instalments. With the influence of Madrid's Juni Calafat playing a significant role, Los Blancos edged out the Blaugrana at the start of July - as 90min revealed before an agreement had been publicly announced.
Guler missed Real Madrid's first two summer friendlies against AC Milan and Manchester United with a minor injury but was fit enough to dazzle his new teammates on the training pitch. Kroos was particularly impressed.
"It must be said that he has great talent for his age," the German midfielder gushed on the podcast Einfach mal Luppen, which he hosts with his brother Felix. "He has a very, very fine left foot. And he will bring it out many times. He has a great shot with his left foot, he is very good technically, especially in small spaces. I think he is a pretty good and intelligent signing, especially for the future."
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Kroos has made more than 400 appearances for Real Madrid and won every club trophy available across his nine years in Spain. During this time, the World Cup winner has seen plenty of promising talents fail to live up to the hype.
"You have to be a bit careful with so many expectations," Kroos warned. "There were also players who, in hindsight, didn't meet them. Especially at this club, there are other issues that determine whether someone succeeds or not. It's not just about having talent, technique or shooting."
However, Kroos highlighted Guler's unusual curiosity as an encouraging strength: "He is one of those talents who asks: 'How do you do that?' He wants clues and advice. There are a lot of 18-year-olds who think they're already very good and don't need advice at all. But he has that learning mentality.
"'To what extent is one physically strong? How do I deal with setbacks? To what extent am I prone to injury? How do I deal with the pressure of playing at a club like this? What personality do I have to prevail in a team like this?'. These are questions I can't even begin to answer. That's why I'm careful with so many superlatives, but I think he has a special talent as a footballer."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Toni Kroos heaps praise on Real Madrid teenage starlet.
