Sunday 2 April 2017 22:22, UK
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane expressed his desire to see Isco sign a new deal with the club after the midfielder helped the La Liga leaders beat Alaves 3-0 at the Bernabeu.
Isco netted the hosts' second at the Bernabeu with an emphatic strike in the 85th minute on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Spain international has been in and out of the Real first XI. He will have one year left on his contract this summer, and has been linked with a move away.
But Zidane said of Isco after the Alaves win: "I want him to renew. He is an important player.
"He wants to stay here, to play here. I am happy with his performance, not only for the goal but for what he did between the lines, what he helped the others do."
Although he labelled Isco as "important", Zidane was also quick to stress that it was a description that applied to all his players.
"Every three days there is an important game. Everyone can have their opinions but to win La Liga and the Champions League makes every player important," he said.
"When Isco plays, he does well. But we have 24 players, and they are all important."
Isco himself was quoted as saying after the game, in which he featured for the whole 90 minutes: "I'm feeling very good.
"I always try to give the best that I can. I am trying to make the most of the opportunities that the boss is giving me, and I am very happy."
Zidane - whose team began the weekend two points clear of second-placed Barcelona with a game in hand over them - said: "We played against a team who are doing very well, who haven't lost that many games.
"In the first half we were much better, we started the game well. In the second it was worse, above all due to our possession of the ball.
"We lost the ball a lot, which we can't keep doing. We know that we always have to improve."
