Gian Piero Gasperini insists that there are no problems with Luis Muriel and suggests Duvan Zapata won’t return to action before the end of the season.
Muriel, the only centre forward available for La Dea, started the last two Serie A games on the bench, but Gasperini insists that there are no problems with the Colombia international.
“I’ll decide the line-up today, trying to understand what to do without changing our identity. To me, there are no problems regarding Muriel. He is a positive guy,” the coach said at a press conference on the eve of the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen.
“Bayer are a solid team. They played really well against Bayern Munich. Now, it’s time to focus on the pitch. We are ready for the final part of the season. I don’t think Zapata will return in time. Now, there is another transfer window, but negotiations must be made when the market is really open, in June and January.
“The performance against Roma wasn’t that bad,” the coach added.
“Often, a team is judged only by their results. League games are always levelled. Little details can shift the balance. We can’t stop now, there’s a lot to do and we can still play valuable games. We have a busy fixture list, so more chances to react.”
Gasperini ended the press conference saying that he has yet to meet Atalanta‘s new owners. In February, La Dea sold a 55% stake in the club to American investors.