I was surprised at how easy it was for Remco to win sprints at the end of Vuelta stages (almost always for minor places, but still). His second stage win was also an easy one. Mas was no match at all. I am no longer certain that Remco will never win in a sprint. He improved quite a lot.Might be time to let it go? Time will tell us if Valverde's comment translates to results. It was, after all, the opinion of one pro - which other current experienced pros have made a similar comment? Opinions are fallible by definition.
But I think it's safe to say Remco won't be the next Merckx. He can't sprint - ironically Remco is a worse sprinter than Valverde was. Pogacar is a better finisher and for that reason will likely end up with more wins even if Remco is so good he wins 10 grand tours.