New Sevilla coach Diego Alonso is happy working with defender Sergio Ramos.

Ramos will face former club Real Madrid this weekend, which also marks Alonso's debut.

He said, “For us Sergio is a very important player. I can't talk about the above, I can talk about what I have seen and I can only repeat that he is an important player. We have seen him especially good, involved and eager to work.

"I am very comfortable with the footballers and I highlight the veterans, who have done an important job in facilitating our work. On a human level I have met a humble boy, from here, who knows that the most important thing is the club and his teammates. And that gives me peace of mind."

He also said: “The departure of a colleague like Mendilibar is a blow for everyone because he was a beloved person within the institution and in the locker room. He was appreciated far beyond football. What I can say is that the players have helped us, they have gotten along and we are very happy with what we have been able to work on.

“Hopefully we can see many things. If I have to impose just one, I want us to be a brave team. I don't mean to say that it wasn't before, quite the opposite. But I would like to be a team that was not afraid to play or defend bravely. Always with courage, being a team of proposals and not responses."