Real pair urged to learn Spanish fast

Former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann on Sunday urged new Real Madrid signings Mest Ozil and Sami Khedira to answer coach Jose Mourinho’s criticisms by learning Spanish as quickly as possible.

Last week Mourinho, who is in his first season as Real coach, criticised the German pair in the Spanish press for speaking only basic Spanish, but Lehmann, who spent four seasons at Arsenal, says they must learn fast to intergrate.

“They must quickly learn the language,” Lehmann told Bild on Sunday.

“They must do everything possible to understand on the pitch.

“If they do not integrate quickly, they may have problems.

“When you sign a big club, the first day you can celebrate, but then you should be aware that you have to more more than you did at your old club.”

Mourinho justified leaving both Khedira and Ozil on the bench for the first Spanish league game against Mallorca, a 0-0 draw, by blaming their inability to communicate.

Real paid 18 million euros for Ozil last month and 14 million for Khedira.

“They do not even speak English. They speak English a little better than Spanish, but it is difficult to communicate with them,” said Mourinho.