Real Madrid Confirms he is now a first-team player

The 2016/17 season will go down in the history books as the one which saw Marcos Llorente come of age and the man who returns to Real Madrid after a loan spell at Alaves has spoken of his past, present and future.

Most recently, the midfielder was representing Spain's Under-21s in Poland and, despite returning to Madrid at 7:30 on the Saturday morning after the lost final and a sleepless night, he visited MARCA in the afternoon for an interview.

How would you analyse the Under-21s European Championship final defeat to Germany?

"My feeling is that we gave the first half away and let them dominate us in every sense. We didn't go out with much focus and they scored that goal. We spoke at half-time and showed a different side to ourselves in the second half by pressing high and going forward with more initiative. We tried to the end, but it wasn't to be."

What did you think when you returned to the dressing room?

"When I lost the Copa del Rey final with Alaves, the first thing I thought about was the fans, my family and my friends and all that they had sacrificed in terms of taking time off work and buying flights and hotels. That was what felt like a shame to me again, that they had put in so much effort to be there and that we couldn't give them this triumph."

Do you think you learn from defeats like this?

"You always learn from everything. If I tell the truth then I would prefer to never learn anything from a defeat and only learn from victories. But you always need to take something positive away from things."

What hurt more, this European Championship loss or the cup final defeat against Barcelona?

"The feelings are different. At the European Championship I felt we had more chance of winning than in the cup final against Barcelona. However, it was the cup final which felt worse. The Copa del Rey is the work of the whole year and of the whole team. It was also quite a team as Deportivo Alaves is a humble club and for them to reach that final, with their fans in the stands supporting us even after we'd lost, was quite something. That feeling of sadness was stronger than the one from Friday night."

There was an image of the Spanish players taking their runners-up medals off. Did you also take your one off?

"No, I don't think so. I didn't notice which players took it off, but I took mine to the dressing room and stored in in my bag. To reach a European final is something important and we must be happy and proud of having achieved this. This medal is a lifelong memory of a nice experience, one which will surely help us to grow a lot."

Is Spanish football in good hands?

"I think we demonstrated that we are great players and that the whole team were up to the challenge. The first matches were won as a great team, with [Marcos] Asensio, Saul [Niguez], [Dani] Ceballos, [Jesus] Vallejo, [Hector] Bellerin and others. This generation and those to come for the next cycle will achieve something."

Do you see any players ready to make the step up to the Spanish national team right away? What names can you see going to Russia?

"The coach will be the one to decide, but I see that some are already ready and more than one have already been with the senior side. As for Russia, the one who I see as being the clearest fit would be Asensio, who is a great player, who has already been with them and who will go to the World Cup if everything continues as it has been going. I know what he is capable of. It's not at all easy to play infrequently and to then perform so well whenever you do play, scoring important goals. His season has been a 10 out of 10."

Have you talked to Ceballos about reuniting at Real Madrid one day?

"He has shown what he is capable of at this European Championship. I would tell him to come to Real Madrid because I want the best to come to Real Madrid. And he is a very good player."

Have received any word from Real Madrid?

"I have already spoken with the club. My loan at Alaves has finished and now I have a contract with Real Madrid. They told me that I'll be part of the tour to the United States after my holiday. My dream has always been to succeed at Real Madrid and I'll do all I can to make that happen. The club haven't spoken to me about loans or transfers. They have told me that I'm another one of the players and that I will go on the tour."

Can you say that you will be a Real Madrid player next season?

"Yes, that is what the club have told me. They have let me know of the confidence they have in me. I know that the best players in the world are at Real Madrid and that they have just completed a great year. It will be difficult, but I am there and want to work and to give everything to try to accomplish my dream."

The level of talent at Real Madrid is very high. Do you see yourself as being ready to fight for a spot?

"Yes. I think that before I started this year I had doubts as to whether or not I could compete at the best club in the world, but this year at Alaves was very good for me, above all because it showed me that I am capable and that I can achieve my dream."

Do these doubts still exist?

"No, I have proven that in what was a very good year. I had the hope of finishing the year by winning the European Championship, but evaluating it as a whole it has still be a great season for me and I'm ready to come back."

Does the fact that Zinedine Zidane has given opportunities to everyone, like Asensio, fill you with motivation?

"More than motivation, it calms me. The fact that the coach will rotate, evaluate the work of the player and give opportunities calms me. I will work hard and sacrifice myself to try to make the most of this, as I've done all my life."

Are you better in defence or in attack?

"Two years ago I thought I was more complete in attack, but this year I think it was in defence. I developed a lot and learned a lot tactically, thanks to [Mauricio] Pellegrino and the captain Manu Garcia, who both taught me a lot."

You were a substitute when Zidane came up to Castilla.

"I played the first four or five games and then started to be left out. These were the coach's decisions. He thought that my teammate [Lucas Torro] was better and I simply had to respect that and keep working."

Do you remember any conversation you had with him?

"Zidane and I talked a lot that year and he thought my teammate was better for the position as he was better in defensive terms. He liked him more, but he didn't have to give me many explanations. I accepted it and kept working and played 20 games in the end, so it wasn't a lost year."

Have you thought about a shirt number yet?

"No. I am a youth teamer who is arriving in the senior team for the first time and I'll wear whatever number they give me. I'll accept it and it won't be a problem."