Diakhaby: "I've played a lot in preseason and I want to do better than last year"

Mouctar Diakhaby has been a frequent fixture in defence for Valencia CF this summer, and alongside Dani Parejo, José Luis Gayà and Rodrigo Moreno has played the most minutes so far in preseason. Impressing with his solid presence at the back in his 366 minutes of action to date, the fullback is hoping to carry the form over to the 2019/20 season proper.

"I'm happy. I've played a lot, but it's preseason and I want to do a lot better than last year," the Frenchman told VCF Media after the most recent game of the summer schedule against Bayer Leverkusen.

"You can find yourself playing more in preseason. We'll see what the coach wants to do when the season starts. If I get to play, then I'll do all that I can to be as competitive as possible."

Marcelino Garcia Toral himself had commented on Diakhaby's importance in his preseason squad, but had denied that the French defender was now established as first choice ahead of Gabriel Paulista. The coach emphasised the importance of having several options available, and of getting everybody up to full strength for the kickoff of the LaLiga campaign.

The final chance to ensure that the players are game-ready is the Trofeo Naranja this Saturday, which Diakhaby sees as a good opportunity for the team.

"We want to have a good game at Mestalla to finish off a good preseason. We want to win, to give us a boost for the opening LaLiga games, and we want to win in front of our fans."