Ruud praises young duo
Monday, January 15, 2007

Real Madrid goal hero Ruud van Nistelrooy has hailed the performances of new signings Fernando Gago and Gonzalo Higuain during Sunday night's Primera Liga win over Real Zaragoza.

Gago and Higuain, both recent recruits from Argentina, each made their home debuts in a much-changed Real line-up.

Former Boca Juniors player Gago, 20, was particularly impressive in midfield while Higuain, the 19-year-old ex-River Plate striker, worked hard up front and set up Van Nistelrooy for the game's only goal in the 40th minute.

With Real under the spotlight after back-to-back league defeats, it was a testing environment for the two youngsters to begin their Bernabeu careers, but Van Nistelrooy believes they came through with flying colours.

"Gago and Higuain played incredibly," said the Dutchman, whose goal helped Real up to joint-second in the standings, and just two points behind leaders Sevilla.

"Scoring was very important for me, but the victory is especially important for all Madridistas," he added.

"The three points are vital and the league is one step closer now."

Gago's first competitive appearance in Real colours came during last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna, so the Argentinian was understandably much happier with his home debut.

"I am very happy with the result and with the team's performance. My self-confidence is growing," he said on the club's website.

"We are ecstatic and we want to keep on working with calm so we can reap the best results little by little.

"I am loving my time here and I hope to win many trophies."

Higuain, who made his first-team bow in the Copa del Rey draw at Real Betis last Thursday, added: "I'm very happy. The game was tough, but it was very special to make a winning debut at the Bernabeu. We are once again in the fight for the title with this victory.

"I hope to continue playing this way. The attitude and enthusiasm are great in the team."

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