Álex Petxarroman (2-6-97) has been recovering from a quadriceps injury for eight weeks between Andorra and Athletic’s medical services at the Lezama facilities. Real’s external right-hander hopes to be available soon under Eder Sarabia, with whom he started the first four League games, with 292 minutes, now cut short by this untimely setback. The director of Methodology and assignments, Mikel Gonzalez, who acts as sports director, attends him on a personal level like the rest of the six on loan from the club this season. Petxa has one more year on his contract in Bilbao. His brother Alain Petxarroman, 30, accompanies him on his adventure playing for Inter Escaldes of the Andorran Primera, which last year won the Principality League. “Leaving a place like Athletic is sad. But I am focused on Andorra, I try to feel comfortable. I have found a very good group that has supported me since my arrival ”, launches the full-back from Añorga in a interview for A.S.

He accumulates two months in the dry dock due to a quadriceps injury. How is he doing after being a starter for Andorra in the first four days?

I started well, the team on top of that has started the season very well, but I had a quadriceps injury for about six weeks that complicated it a bit. I started training and a couple of weeks ago I hurt the hamstring of my right leg. And now recovering in Lezama.

Did he also need a change of air?

Yes, a bit of everything. Injured you are out of the group dynamics, it is my first year away from home and in the end a lot of things accumulate. It has been agreed between the two clubs in a very easy way. We decided to come here and soon we will return to Andorra.

How about your relationship with Eder Sarabia, a coach with a lot of character?

All trainers have to mark their territory. He is a guy who always says what he thinks, who doesn’t keep quiet about anything. The truth is that I have a good relationship with him and the whole team does. I am very happy with him.

Eder played in Biscayan football in the ranks of Arenas, San Pedro and Leioa…

Yes, until Segunda B, they have told me that he was a player with a lot of quality, but I have not seen him play.

Does it bring you closer in the dressing room because of Petxarroman being on loan from Athletic?

No not at all. When I arrived they wanted to inform me a little about what Marcelino was like in training and such, he is a guy who lives it a lot and likes it a lot. He makes me live everything with passion. That makes gestures, attitudes that are equally surprising from the outside, but we are all very happy.

Did you mark the challenges when you arrived as to whether you would play as a right back or a midfielder?

I went with the idea that Andorra wanted me on the right side, but I am versatile and I can adapt to various positions. In fact, there is a match in Las Palmas that I play as a central defender, which doesn’t go very well since he changes me before the break. Andorra is working well, they have signed unknown people, but they are very good and they are performing at a high level.

Can a balance be struck now with this injury blurring his starting start in Second Division or do we have to wait?

Well, I’m happy because as soon as I arrived I trained little and in the first game against Real Oviedo I played a good game, against Sporting we started well, and the balance of what I’ve played is calm. But so much injury and relapse is screwed. What I wanted when I came to recuperate in Lezama was to clear my mind, come with renewed energy to face a season that is going to be very demanding.

What level are you noticing in the SmartBank League where distance meters are scarce when you go from Second B to First?

The jump from Second B to First is very big, but the level of Second is also high, with players who come from First. What I notice is the rhythm and the intensity, it is more difficult to play, although I want to do that analysis later. The Andorra block is from the First Federation and they are adapting well.

Tenth in the table, recently promoted Andorra with clubs like Zaragoza or Malaga behind.

You see sunken teams and we are four points away from the promotion playoff, although everything is very even and if you lose two or three games you go down. I hope to have a great year.

Can this Andorra aspire to promotion to the First Division?

Right now we have to fight for everything, the joke is to go up, go up and we are there competing for everything. You have to fight for everything.

What do they ask you about your time at Real and Athletic?

Well, we also have the joke that I played with Sanse in the promotion playoff against Andorra and we eliminated them and they are always with the pique of luck, arbitration… They had a great team. And the club has very clear ideas. The sports director (Jaume Nogues) and the coach go hand in hand in what they want, even the president. And it is being demonstrated with the results. If you believe in your idea it is difficult for you to go wrong.

Has Piqué, owner and largest shareholder in Andorra through his company Cosmos, visited you?

For various reasons he has not been able to come much, but he really likes to come. One day she did come up, she was with us, she brought us together, we had a kind of snack and we talked about objectives. It was kind of informal to get to know each other. It was good.

Has there been speculation that you can play center-back for Andorra after your retirement from Barça?

Yes, the joke is in the locker room. We have no idea, I hope he plays with us, but I think not.

Petxa from 2 and Piqué from central… it sounds good.

It would be the host, hopefully, anything can happen, but I think he announced that he was going to retire from football. At first I don’t think so, but we’ll see what happens in the future.

How are you watching Athletic from a distance?

Very good, he has an incredible rhythm, he generates many chances, on top of that this year he is scoring the goals that last year he was blamed for lack of aim. I see them very well.

Are you sorry that you are not playing this season with Valverde as your coach?

If you feel sorry, leave a place like Athletic it’s sad. But I am focused on Andorra, I try to feel comfortable, I have found a very good group that has supported me since I arrived.

Is it impossible to remove De Marcos from the position of Athletic’s right-back?

It’s an old dog… the bastard. Besides, he is very good. He also suffered different injuries and ups and downs, and already last year he finished the season well. I see him well, physically he has always been a marvel.

And Lekue is also fine on both sides.

Yes, last year it also started like a plane and it has always done well. In the end people like to criticize, but when it comes to jumping onto the field is when you show it. And I’m happy for them, that things are going very well for them.

The cape thing is different. Did you think he was going to play so little even in Alzira?

In the end there is a lot of competition. Last year there were four right sides and when the team is doing well you change little. Athletic is having few games, with only one competition so far, and it is true that it is surprising that they have achieved so little. Capa already knows what it’s like to spend a year like this and he must work hard because he never knows when the opportunity may come.

Did you have any conversation with Valverde before his transfer to Andorra?

Yes, we had at the end of the preseason and he told me that he was going to have a few minutes and that the best thing was to go out. I accepted it naturally.

At Real, Álex Sola is hitting him hard in the right-hand lane.

Yes, when you are in these teams you see a lot of friends that come. De Sola already knew the conditions that she had, she is a physical marvel and, being friends, they do well.

La Real is also impeccable, third in the table with 26 points and Athletic in the slipstream, fourth with 24 is amazing

Imagine, the two teams fighting and right now both in the Champions League. Imagine fighting both for the Champions League, it would be nice.

What goals does Petxarroman set for himself at 25 years of age between now and June?

Footballers have always gone through dynamics and spells and the only thing I hope is to finish with the injuries and I am sure that when I start with the routine and roll with the rest I will have a good year.

When you were in Andorra, did you receive calls from Athletic asking for an interest in your adaptation?

Yes, actually now that I’ve been injured a lot more. Mikel González has gone to see me several games live, he has ever spoken with him and the follow-up is being very close, even closer than he could have thought.

Do you have contact with the other six on loan from Athletic: Unai Núñez at Celta, Nolaskoain and Imanol García de Albéniz at Eibar, Artola in Burgos, Nico Serrano or Prados in Miranda?

I spoke with all of them when we have faced each other. I’m not much of writing by wasap, I like to talk to them in the games to see how they are doing. With Peru (Nolaskoain) he did speak a few times and I know that he has recovered from the injury. When you leave Athletic it seems that it will be easy to play anywhere and it is not like that. There are very good people like in Andorra.