Ruben de la Red, who hasn’t set foot on the pitch since fainting almost a year ago, joined Esteban Granero to Onda Cero’s radio show Onda Deportiva.

De la Red:

It is not easy to accept the fact that you cannot play when you don’t know what is wrong with you. You cannot fight against something when you don’t know what it is. We have to first figure out what it is and then make the appropriate decisions.

I would be in much worse shape if I didn’t handle it like think. I must keep a positive outlook and not dwell on it too much.

The worst is not knowing everything that is wrong. No one can tell me what I have and what is causing it. There is always an open door. I go to every match. I am still a member of the squad. I am injured, but not excluded from the team. I am just a player who is unavailable. I feel like part of the team and need to support my teammates.

I prefer to think about the diagnosis than playing. I don’t lose hope of returning, but I need medical proof so that the doctors and I can make that call.

Granero:

Perhaps we haven’t connected well at the Bernabeu, but we have played very well on the road. We were very serious against Espanyol and we created a lot of chances.

De la Red:

The team will become more solid as it plays more matches.

Granero:

Pellegrini knows what he wants and he expresses that to the team. He told me he has faith in me and that he will treat me like all the rest. I believe him and he has stayed true to his word. The rest all depends on the players’ work. We must be ready to give our very best.