Atletico Madrid defender สโบเบท Lucas Hernandez has seen his minutes deteriorate as the season has gone on, and his challenge in 2018 will be to return to prominence as a starter for Diego Simeone's side.The 21-year-old was indispensable for Atletico at the start of the campaign due to his versatility, able to play at both centre-back and left-back, as he covered Felipe Luis with the Brazilian having picked up an injury that saw him miss the final part of pre-season.Atletico were able to secure their first win of the season away at Las Palmas with Lucas at left-back, and he then moved to centre-back in the following two games against Valencia and Malaga once Felipe Luis returned, accompanying Stefan Savic and Diego Godin respectively as they kept a clean sheet on both occasions.
The next game away at Athletic Club saw Lucas dropped to the bench, but he was still able to make an appearance as he came on in the final part of the game for Felipe Luis; and the following match against Sevilla, back at the Wanda Metropolitano, he returned to being a starter as he played at centre-back alongside Savic.Simeone's faith in the young defender continued in the Champions League, too, as he played in the first European game at the new สโบเบท stadium against Chelsea, after having been rested for the away tie to Roma, but he picked up an injury that kept him out of the game against Leganes.Once he recovered he was back into the line-up for the victories against Celta de Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna in Galicia, and then for the Madrid derby against Real, but despite featuring in the starting eleven in eight of the first 12 league games, Lucas has barely featured since, only playing the final couple of minutes away at Betis on 10 December.In the Champions League, Lucas did not feature in the two games against Qarabag but did play the full 90 minutes in the home win against Roma and then in the 1-1 draw away at Chelsea on the final matchday, where Atletico secured their elimination from the competition.He also played in the two Copa del Rey fixtures against Elche, so it is in the league where Lucas needs to regain the confidence of Simeone สโบเบท that was evident at the beginning of the season. 2018 could be a big year for Lucas.
