Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has said he understands why Jese Rodriguez was frustrated on Sunday evening after he came on with less than one minute to go against Elche and didn’t touch the ball.
The young forward had spent more than 40 minutes warming up, and Spanish TV station Cuatro caught him shouting his frustration at assistant boss Fernando Hierro just before he come onto the field. “You can’t do this to me, I’ve been warming up for 40 minutes,” he told Hierro.
After the game, manager Carlo Ancelotti explained what happened, telling reporters he had wanted to bring Jese on earlier but the ball didn’t go out of play for a couple of minutes during stoppage time.
Casillas said it was a pity Jese didn’t get more game time, but the striker has an important role to play in the squad as Los Blancos look to win La Liga for the first time since 2012.
“It was a pity. He was longer than normal on the sideline, but the ball did not go out. I understand in the moment, with everyone heated, that he could feel bad. He is an important player for us, he has come back from a serious injury, and we must make him understand how to help us,” Casillas stated.
