Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has called for calm on the whole Thomas Lemar situation where the Frenchman received flak for underperforming.

The former Monaco man was substituted off against Sevilla after a performance he would like to forget.

However, Simeone believes that the player has great things set in store for him in the future and this is just a rough, adaptation phase.

“Thomas Lemar? He is a very important player for us, that’s for sure,” Simeone told reporters.

“He didn’t play his best game for us the other day against Sevilla and we decided to substitute him, but his performance was certainly improving in that one game too.

“He is a player who we have to be patient with because he has outstanding ability and it is an adaptation process for him, he is a very important player for us.

“We are confident that when it is necessary in the Copa del Rey or the Champions League, we will find the Lemar we need.”