Vrsaljko establishes himself in the team and proved himself to Simeone

Sime Vrsaljko's situation at Atletico Madrid was virtually unknown last summer.

The Croatian had ruptured his cruciate ligament in January 2019 and was nowhere near full fitness or the first team for the rest of the calendar year.

Eight months into this season and Vrsaljko has banished all doubts. He made his first Atletico appearance since the 2018 Europa League final against Leganes on January 26.

Now, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in the starting line-up for the sixth match in a row during Sunday's clash with Villarreal.

A fixture in the squad

With a lack of opportunities and Kieran Trippier and Santiago Arias for competition at right-back, there was a chance that Vrsaljko was going to leave Atletico in January.

There was talk of a loan move but, after injuries to Trippier and Arias, Vrsaljko has established himself in the team and proved himself to Diego Simeone.