He may have been left out of the starting line-up, but Isco proved to be the hero as Real Madrid stumbled to a 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.

The substitute scored the equaliser at San Mames just minutes after replacing Luka Modric, but admits he understands Julen Lopetegui’s decision to leave him out of the starting XI.

“It’s not only me in the team, there are teammates who might be better than me and that’s why the coach chose this team,” he said.

“It’s a long season and we need to be prepared, as the coach says it’s important to be ready and all available to achieve our aims.

Los Blancos dropped points for the first time this season as they slipped two points behind Barcelona, who were 2-1 winners over Real Sociedad.

“That’s football, we were up against a strong rival,” he said.

“It wasn’t our best game but nor was it bad, we had chances.

“We were lacking a bit of patience and precision to take the lead.”