Le Normand had not played since his side's 1-1 draw at home to city rival Real Madrid in September, in which he suffered a severe head injury after a collision with Aurelien Tchouameni and required extensive treatment on the pitch.

The match against fourth-tier opposition in the Copa del Rey was his ninth appearance since joining the club from Real Sociedad in the summer and Simeone was pleased to see the Spain international back on the pitch.

"We are very happy that he is back with the team," Simeone said.

"It is normal that he needs that time to get back to playing, he will need that time playing, training and competing to be at his best. We are waiting for him and we need him, he is a very important player for us."

The match itself was not as straightforward as Atleti would have liked, having gone a goal down after half an hour.

It took an 83rd-minute Clement Lenglet goal to draw level before an effort from Julian Alvarez and an Adri Perez own-goal in stoppage-time secured Atleti's passage through to the next round.

Having taken until the 81st minute to get ahead in its 2-0 victory over sixth-tier Vic in the previous round, Simeone explained he had been expecting it to be a tough test.

"We had been through it with Vic. They are not easy, Girona, Villarreal, Espanyol have been eliminated. It is not easy. The teams have enormous enthusiasm, they work together as a team, they get a goal that raises their enthusiasm. It is not easy to keep it up until the end," he said.

"The game was as expected, a great cup game, with a very hard-working opponent. When you show little decisiveness you run the risk of losing. We have to improve in that part."