Real Madrid News
19-year-old Real Madrid youngster will continue at club amidst Espanyol links
Despite heavy interest from fellow La Liga teams like Espanyol, journalist Rodra has said that Real Madrid will keep 19-year-old forward Alvaro Rodriguez as part of their squad for the 2023-24 season.
The journalist adds that the basic idea is to let him develop at Real Madrid Castilla and be ready for Carlo Ancelotti when required.
Ancelotti has full trust in Rodriguez
Back when 19-year-old Rodriguez failed to make it to the pre-season squad, news emerged that he could be allowed to go on loan before the beginning of the new season.
As it turns out, however, the decision was rather technical as Ancelotti and Raul Gonzalez decided to leave him in Madrid keeping the Castilla team’s preparation in mind.
Rodriguez not making it to the United States tour does not really mean Ancelotti has excluded him from his plans.
On the contrary, the Italian has complete trust in the forward and it is said that he will have his fair share of minutes in the 2023-24 season.
“For next season he will be in the first team squad because he has the quality that few others have. For his age, he is tall, powerful, and a formidable header,” Ancelotti had said about Rodriguez back in February.
Market demand
Seeing Rodriguez’s situation, several teams have tried to prey him away from Madrid. A few weeks back, interest from Serie A side Udinese surfaced while the likes of Getafe and Benfica have been credited with an interest as well.
Among those, Benfica might as well try their luck mostly because they are set to lose Goncalo Ramos to PSG this summer and Rodriguez could come in as a perfect replacement.
Fellow La Liga side Espanyol showed interest as well, but Madrid’s plan with the 19-year-old is absolutely clear. They want him to continue his progress in the subsidiary squad and the manager will call him to the senior team whenever the time is right.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
