Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre was delighted to see Christian Abbiati keep a cleansheet on his Primera Liga debut in yesterday's 2-0 defeat of Osasuna.

Aguirre said: "He did well. He gave the defence a nice air of calmness. He is a very good friend of Leo Franco and they are both capable of playing as our No1. I'm calm about the situation because both goalkeepers bring a lot of self-assurance to our defence."

Aguirre's decision was well-timed, with AC Milan understood to be keen to bring Abbiati back to Italy in January. The experienced shot-stopper is likely to resist an approach if he continues between the posts for Atletico.