Obed Vargas plays 45 minutes in Atlético’s 2-1 defeat

Mexican midfielder Obed Vargas continues to rack up minutes in Atlético Madrid’s pre-season and on Saturday he started the friendly against Manchester United at the Strawberry Arena in Sweden. He stayed on the pitch for 45 minutes, but watched the Spanish side lose 2-1.

Vargas gets his chance and shows intensity

The match served as another test for Vargas, who remains under observation from the board and from head coach Diego Simeone. According to reports circulating in Spain, the pre-season games will carry decisive weight in deciding the young player’s future, precisely because of the strong competition in Atlético’s midfield.

With a crowded squad in that area, the Mexican is among the names most likely to leave the club, possibly on loan. Even so, consistent performances through pre-season could reopen the door to the first team under the Argentine coach.

A solid display before the break

Vargas started in a central role alongside Koke, Ademola Lookman and Carlos Martín. In the first half he showed plenty of mobility, helped win the ball back and carried out his defensive duties whenever Atlético had to drop deep.

He did not have a shot on goal, but stood out for two important recoveries and for trying to inject pace into the team’s build-up. While he was on the pitch Atlético held the lead thanks to Arnau Ortiz’s goal, going into the break 1-0 up on the Red Devils.

A second-half turnaround and the next challenge

After the interval Simeone took Vargas off, bringing on Rodrigo Mendoza. The Argentine coach carried out a wholesale rebuild of the side: eleven substitutions between the 45th and 61st minutes, a reshuffle that ended up unsettling the way the team functioned.

Manchester United took advantage of that instability and turned the game around through a Bryan Mbeumo double, closing it out at 2-1. Atlético Madrid’s next pre-season fixture is against Manchester City on 9 August, a match in which Vargas will look for more minutes to convince Simeone that he deserves a place in the squad next season.