Real Madrid News
Ancelotti impressed by Real Madrid flop’s commitment and attitude – report
Real Madrid are gearing themselves up for season restart, with the Spanish champions set to resume their La Liga campaign against Real Valladolid at the end of the month.
Thanks to early eliminations, Real Madrid have already had the fortune of having some of the star players back from the FIFA World Cup. One of them is Eden Hazard, who has been widely branded as a failure since his big-money move to Santiago Bernabeu in 2019.
In three and a half years, Hazard has featured in 72 competitive matches for Real Madrid, scoring only seven goals. It is certainly not enough for a player who cost the Whites a fee of around €115 million.
His struggles at the Bernabeu have seen him fall behind the likes of Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, and Marco Asensio in the pecking order. As such, he has yet to even feature in 100 minutes of league football.
However, according to AS (h/t Madrid Xtra), Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has been left impressed by Hazard’s commitment and attitude since his return from the World Cup.
The forward has shown a lot of enthusiasm and wants to carve out a place for himself in Ancelotti’s first-team plans.
Hazard made headlines recently by announcing his retirement from international football, shortly after Belgium’s exit from the World Cup.
The forward indeed had a dismal World Cup as the Red Devils, regarded as one of the dark horses of the tournament, were knocked out in the group stages.
It remains to be seen whether Ancelotti’s impression of Hazard will alter his role in the Real Madrid first team. But it is very much possible that the Belgian could be allowed to move on in January, should Los Blancos receive a reasonable offer for the attacker.
It has been a difficult season for Juventus, who are staring at the possibility of missing out on the Champions League next season. Thanks to a 15-point deduction earlier in the campaign, the club are dawdling in mid-table places and look certain to miss out on the top four.
Missing out on UCL action could be devastating for Juventus and may even lead to the departure of one of the star players in the form of Dusan Vlahovic.
According to AS, Real Madrid are aware of this situation and are sensing a market opportunity to sign the Serbian international ahead of the new season.
It is no secret that the Spanish giants are in the market for a new striker next season. Although star player Karim Benzema is likely to renew his contract, the forward has struggled with fitness woes this season.
It has accentuated the need for a new number nine. Real Madrid have invested heavily in Brazilian whizkid Endrick, but he will not be eligible to join the club until 2024.
Therefore, the club are looking for a new option, with Vlahovic emerging as one of the desired targets.
Formerly of Fiorentina, Vlahovic has netted 20 goals in less than 50 competitive appearances for Juve. He is known for his physical and aerial prowess, but what makes him such an appealing target for Real Madrid is his ability to sniff goalscoring opportunities.
Vlahovic himself might want to jump ship and join Real Madrid, especially with the opportunity to become the club’s main number nine looming large.
But with Real Madrid also planning on investing heavily on Jude Bellingham to strengthen their midfield, it remains to be seen if they would be willing to splash the cash on Vlahovic’s signing as well.
