Real Madrid News
Ancelotti retains full trust in Real Madrid youngster despite exclusion from US tour
Alvaro Rodriguez made quite the impression in his few first-team minutes for Real Madrid last season. Such was the Castilla star’s impact that it immediately demanded the management’s attention and consideration to promote him to the first team.
In 84 La Liga minutes last season, the 19-year-old Uruguayan scored one goal and provided one assist. That number would have been even higher had it not been for a few millimetres caught by VAR.
Despite his impressive showing with the first team and Ancelotti’s relative lack of options in the final third, Rodriguez did not make the squad to travel to the United States for pre-season. The manager’s decision has certainly raised a few eyebrows.
According to reports from MARCA, the decision to exclude the youngster from the tour was a joint decision taken by Ancelotti and Raul Gonzalez keeping the Castilla team’s preparation in mind. Moreover, it was seen to be futile to carry many youth stars when the manager had a close to full-strength first-team squad.
Ancelotti’s trust in Rodriguez is complete, the Spanish outlet reports. Looking ahead to the 2023-24 season, the youngster will have his share of minutes with the senior team but his value to the Castilla side cannot be undermined.
The club are impressed with the physical form and level displayed by the Uruguayan in the pre-season and they hope to bring him back to his best in the coming weeks. His development is under the joint tutelage of Ancelotti and Raul.
As it stands, Los Blancos play their first pre-season game late on Sunday night against AC Milan. The game will take place at the Rose Bowl Stadium before the team travels to face Manchester United and Barcelona.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, will undergo pre-season with Castilla under Raul and could hope to join the senior team once the La Liga season gets underway.
Aurelien Tchouameni has had an exciting start to his career at Real Madrid. Since joining the club for almost €80 million last summer, the young Frenchman has now become a pivotal figure in Real Madrid’s midfield unit.
However, prior to his move to Santiago Bernabeu, the midfielder was closely linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
In a recent interview, Tchouameni opened up on his links to PSG but revealed his decision to join Real Madrid.
Aurelien Tchouameni on PSG links
Talking about speculations linking him to PSG, Tchouameni said (h/t Madrid Zone), “PSG? Frankly, I thought about it. It’s a very big European club, we want the French clubs to succeed.”
“But honestly, when Real Madrid calls you, it’s very complicated to say no,” Tchouameni added.
The midfielder was linked with a move to PSG during his time at AS Monaco. Les Parisiens wanted to sign the youngster as part of their plans to reinforce the midfield unit.
Tchouameni, though, ended up opting for a move to Real Madrid, which turned out to be a prudent decision from the midfielder’s end.
Tchouameni’s career at Real Madrid
Aurelien Tchouameni made a total of 50 competitive appearances during his maiden season at Real Madrid.
Although the Frenchman was not entirely a first-team regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s setup, his stature in the team is expected to grow in the coming years.
Especially as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric move on at the end of the season, there is scope for Tchouameni to become a first-team regular in the Real Madrid midfield in the years to come.
The former AS Monaco starlet has already played a crucial role in the starting eleven so far this season and it is only going to continue as the season progresses.
