Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has said Real Madrid have lost an important player in Toni Kroos.

Kroos retired from football at the end of last season, and Simeone says Real Madrid are still missing him.

“The opposition [Real Madrid] have lost a very important player like [Toni] Kroos, an extraordinary player admired by all the coaches, a player that any team need,” Diego Simeone told the media ahead of the Madrid derby.

“They are looking for that player to give them the calm to take advantage of all the attacking power they have.

“I don’t think it’s going to change much from what we saw in the games we played against them. We do have a lot of new players, but I think they’re going to stick with the plan they’ve had.

“Knowing the coach [Carlo Ancelotti], he will look to play with Bellingham as a playmaker, the fourth on the left; with Modric coming on to play behind Rodrygo and Vinicius. I think that’s the way I think our opponents can play.”