Luis Miguel Ramis interview: Osasuna boss ready for LaLiga after long route to the top via Real Madrid's academy

As a player, Luis Miguel Ramis made his debut in LaLiga with Real Madrid and went on to win the competition with Deportivo La Coruna. Now 56 years old, the route back to Spain’s top division has taken him rather longer as a coach. But he has made it.

After a decade coaching in Real Madrid's renowned academy, and a further 10 years in Spain's lower leagues, Ramis took charge of Osasuna this summer. "This opportunity came my way," Ramis tells Sky Sports. "I am prepared and excited for the challenge."

It will not be easy. Osasuna has been something of a model outfit in Spain, consistently punching above their weight, buoyed by a clear strategy and a quality academy. But the club from Pamplona came close to the drop last season, finishing down in 17th place.

Victor Munoz, their prized asset, has been sold to Liverpool. But Ramis is not thinking about the stars. "I want a team that has a collective spirit, is organised and balanced," he explains. "We need to have a strong defensive structure and a collective mentality."

When Ramis talks of the "heavy physical workload" he is subjecting the players to in pre-season, there is the sense of a practical man preparing them for the slog ahead. But this former defender knows how to appreciate the artists just as much as the artisans.

During the course of our conversation, he smiles at the recollection of playing with his old team-mate Robert Prosinecki at both Real Madrid and Sevilla. The mercurial Croatian often liked to smoke at half-time. His habits were tolerated due to his genius.

At Depor, Ramis was a colleague of Djalminha, the temperamental Brazilian playmaker who nevertheless propelled the Galician side to glory in Spain at the turn of the century. Would Ramis the coach be able to deal with these mavericks? It would be tricky, right?

"Not at all! They were exceptional team-mates who tried to inspire with their talent," he insists. "What mattered least of all to any of us were each other's private lives. What mattered most of all to us was that we respected each other in the dressing room."

He concedes that the game has changed, however. "Football has evolved enormously. Talent still exists. Star players still emerge. Those with special qualities still reach the top. But there has been significant progress in terms of players' physical conditioning."

He adds: "Nutrition departments, psychology departments and improved facilities have emerged. Coaching is better too. All that makes players more complete. In the past, teams depended more on talent. Now, besides talent, you need many other qualities."

His years coaching some of the best young talent in the world at Madrid taught him that. Among the many prospects to pass through was Martin Odegaard, now one of the Premier League's outstanding midfielders and captain of current champions Arsenal.

Ramis remembers the talent. More importantly, he remembers what was still required for Odegaard to fulfil his potential. "He only needed to add hard work, sacrifice and a competitive character. Today, he is a reference in England and for his national team."

The point is one that clearly resonates with him. "In football, the players who reach the highest level do not get there just through talent. They get there because of their work, their sense of responsibility and the personality they show in the big moments."

They will be messages that his current club hope he can impart. "Osasuna is certainly a club that pays close attention to its young players." A decade ago, they were notable in giving more minutes to domestic players than any other club in Europe's major leagues.

Many graduates remain in the first team and it is part of the thinking behind Ramis being a good fit. "It is true that spending so much time in Real Madrid's academy has given me experience in the development and progression of younger players," he acknowledges.

"In fact, there are quite a few academy players here. The important thing is that if we see them as ready to play then we play them so that they can continue their progress and development and experience the level that is required to play in the top division."

But Ramis is not at La Fabrica now and this is no development job. It is Osasuna, the only major team in the province of Navarre. This is their eighth consecutive season in the top flight. They intend to stay. "Every team has its own needs and characteristics."

For Osasuna, the task is to improve the results. "First of all, we want to avoid suffering the way that the team did last season. We know there will be good moments and less good moments but we want consistency in the team's behaviour and their identity."

After many years spent helping others to make the step up, the onus is now on Luis Miguel Ramis to do the same.