Carrasco now competing with Griezmann and Gameiro – Simeone

Diego Simeone identified Yannick Carrasco as a potential challenger to regular Atletico Madrid strikers Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro after his improvement in front of goal.

The Belgium international already has 10 goals in all competitions this season, double the figure he managed through the entirety of last term, and is only two behind Griezmann.

Generally deployed on the left wing, Carrasco was shifted to a more central role for Wednesday’s 6-0 Copa del Rey demolition of third-tier Guijuelo and played a starring role – scoring twice, winning a penalty and seeing several chances saved.

Carrasco’s improvement in the penalty area has not gone unnoticed by Simeone either, with the coach now considering him a viable option in attack.

“He’s a choice for games in which we have spaces in attack,” Simeone said in a media conference ahead of Saturday’s visit of Espanyol. “We need to exploit his speed and he also is very strong.

“He is improving a lot in front of goal and that is very good for the team and for him. I consider him a midfield attacker.

“He has features that let him play out wide with his work rate and as a striker he is growing. We are grateful because he gives us more options.”

Over the last couple of years Simeone has received praise for ensuring Atletico are a force both domestically and in Europe while maintaining a strong collection of emerging young talent.

So far this season Simeone has used 11 players in LaLiga who are 25 or younger and he believes creating such competition is crucial, while he feels encouraging a good attitude is as important as being able to play well.

He added: “If you remember, one of the goals when I was hired was to always get something out of young players, to give us options.

“Koke was beginning, then it was Saul [Niguez], Thomas [Partey]; now guys who are young go out on loan if they have things to improve – we always have eyes on our youth categories.

“We are always happy to give them a chance and always look. I tell them to train well, because although they may only get 10 minutes, we see if they have attitude, work ethic, predisposition, and it’s not just because they play well.”