- Aug 16, 2003
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Negredo has come first-team football hard to come by this season; making just five La Liga starts.
But the 30-year-old has featured in all four of Gary Neville’s games in charge at Valencia.
And the former Manchester United defender has hinted Negredo could play a greater role for the final months of the season.
Speaking earlier this month, Neville said: ‘Watching him at Manchester City two or three seasons ago he made a big impact in the Premier League and he was almost like the perfect striker; he was wonderful and there is no reason why he can’t get back to that level.
‘But I spoke to him before the Lyon game and we need patience. If players are out for one or two weeks then they can have short term recuperation but a player who has not played for three months needs to be phased back in and is not introduced again so quickly that he breaks down again.
‘He is getting stronger every day but he knows that it’s a gradual process to get him back to his absolute peak fitness. It’s not going to be an overnight thing it will be him playing 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 45 minutes, to a point where he gets his match sharpness, his confidence and his belief back.
‘But I have a lot of confidence and belief in him because I have seen him at such a high level. We know that he can’t get to that absolute top level straight away but I think he can get back to that top level again. I’m convinced.’