Real Madrid defender Marcelo has refused to blame the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo for his side's 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao.
Trailing 1-0 following a goal from Iker Muniain, Real managed to secure a point after substitute Isco found the net, but were left frustrated at not being able to claim victory.
Marcelo was adamant that the absence of Ronaldo, who joined Juventus in a £100million move in the summer, isn't affecting Real, and outlined that the club have coped with the departures of high-profile players in the past.
As reported by Four Four Two, Marcelo said: "I think supporters also often remember Raul, Zidane... Not only Cristiano."
"The draw is a bit disappointing. We were hoping for a fairer outcome, which would have been to win the game."
"We gave it our all to do so and we improved in the second half but we have to move on from this game and think about the next."
Marcelo was left frustrated by the draw and outlined that Real should have been more patient.
He said: "We had a lot of the ball and created chances but it just wouldn't go in for us. We've got a fantastic team, we played well, but we couldn't win the game."
"We didn't want to drop any points here. We also lacked a bit of patience."
"After going behind, we tried to get on top quickly, but that's the way things go in football. We came very close to getting the three points. We're firing on all cylinders right now."
Real now find themselves two points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, who have won all four of their games so far.
Although Real won their first three league fixtures, they were beaten 4-2 by Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup last month.
Real will be looking to return to winning ways on Wednesday when they host Roma in the Champions League.