Atletico Madrid have handed young defender Álvaro Domínguez his first pro deal.

Dominguez has inked a four-year contract with Atletico through to 2013.

"I'm very happy because my dream is to continue with Atletico Madrid. I've got a lot of time left and the only thing that I want is to keep working in order to be someone important for this club," he told his club's official website.

"The club have shown their confidence in me with this contract. Nowadays they are counting on young people and the cantera, and this is important because we have a lot to give. I'm sure that trusting the youth players could be very beneficial for the team.

"My objective is to become a starter. It doesn't matter where, either centre-back or full-back. I'm not resigned to being a substitute and I never will be. I will work hard in order to perform wherever the coach asks me to."