Thursday 24 September 2015 12:32, UK
Rafael Benitez heaped praise on striker Karim Benzema after his two goals earned Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Atheltic Bilbao on Wednesday night in La Liga.
The Frenchman has scored in every game for Real this term, netting six in five having registered 22 goals in all competitions in the 2014/15 season.
And Benzema, who was linked in the Spanish and British press with a move away from the Bernabeu to Arsenal in the summer, has proved himself to be a very good partner for Cristiano Ronaldo, says Benitez.
Benitez said after the win: "He's a great player, he is a different striker because he moves around the area and he is a very good partner for Cristiano Ronaldo.
"It doesn't matter that he is not an old-fashioned striker who just plays in the area. His quality and his movement help us cause a lot of danger.
"Our objective is that he scores 20-25 goals and he is going in the right direction, but he will also have to add assists to that."
Benitez also praised his side's character as they overcame a difficult second half to win at San Mames and go top of La Liga after five games.
"Undoubtedly I'm happy because we won the game and I think the two halves were very clear and defined for us.
"In the first half we had possession and created about four or five chances which could have been goals, and in the second we showed character, because they put us under a lot of pressure.
"This game was different to the others because we showed we had other elements we had not shown before, such as our character and our ability to fight.
"The great Real Madrid teams always had that element of character and a fighting spirit, as well as playing spectacular football."
