"He has everything to be a great cyclist at world level" - Joxean Matxín is full of praise for Igor Arrieta, promising UAE Team Emirates talent

In an interview with the Diario de Navarra, Joxean Matxín talks about one of the new UAE Team Emirates cyclists, the young Igor Arrieta, of whom he says that "he can become one of the best cyclists in the world."

"Igor Arrieta is a rider with a lot of potential, with a lot of future that maybe he hasn't been lucky because of crashes, otherwise I know he would have had results. He is a rider of great quality, and I have absolute confidence in him. I know he's going to be a very important rider in this team," explained Matxín;

The UAE boss is full of praise for the young rider from Navarre, whom he hopes will have a bright future and who he assures will be given peace of mind in his first steps in the WorldTour after his years with Team Pharma:

"Igor can be a super-important rider. We want him to ride with confidence, without pressure, without needing to prove anything. Igor doesn't have to have the responsibility of a result. We are going to give him confidence, affection and treat him like what he deserves, which is to be a rider who can become one of the best riders in the world, just like that. I'm not a futurologist, I don't know if he's going to work in classics or stage races, but I know he has the conditions to be one of the best in the world".

He gives reasons why he thinks he can be a cyclist who can achieve great things in his professional future:

"He has everything to be a great cyclist at world level. Because he has a great engine, because he is super professional, but above all he runs well; he knows how to position himself, which is something very important in cycling today, he descends very well... he is a cyclist, he has a very affable character and his father has instilled in him some very important values in cycling."

"I see Arrieta's potential, what is needed is to give him confidence, give him sports space and if at some point he has to work, he will work for others. This is a team. Adam Yates can be third in the Tour, win a stage, take the lead and at the same time work for the best rider in the world," he concludes.