The star of Sheffield United, Ben Brereton Diaz, has stated that he is well with Chilean coach Ricardo Gareca, even though the two appeared to be at odds earlier this year.
Speaking with ESPN in Chile, Diaz talked about his joy in representing his country and his experiences working with Gareca since the latter took over in January.
Since making his debut for his nation in June 2021, the Sheffield United player has made 29 appearances and scored seven goals, including one against Argentina in 2022. Since then, he hasn’t looked back.
He’s expected to be a key player under Gareca moving forwards but the new Chile coach has made it clear on several occasions that may not be the case, because Diaz does not speak Spanish.
The manager has openly acknowledged that working with the Sheffield United player is challenging, but when injuries compelled him to call up Diaz despite making similar remarks, he was forced to swallow his pride.
Even though it looks like the contrary from the outside, the forward insists there aren’t any significant issues to resolve and has reportedly been working on the situation ever since to assist reduce any potential tensions.
“There is something unique about that shirt every time I wear it. Making my family proud while playing for Chile,” he remarked.
“I told the coach when I was with Chile in the friendlies. We got along well, we understood each other and he let me know what he wanted.
“When I was in Italy and France in the last friendlies everything was fine, we got along well. We had a couple of conversations with him (Gareca) and with the entire coaching staff.
“They were great (on the European tour), it was seen in the first two games and we did well in those friendlies, so everything was great with the coaching staff, we feel the good vibes.”
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