Marco Asensio was the hero on Saturday night as Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo by two goals at Santiago Bernabeu.

The Spanish striker was on point for the Merengues on the night, scoring one goal and providing an assist. Given a rare start, it is safe to say that he completely capitalised on his opportunity last night.

Asensio spoke to the media after his team’s win over the Galicians and first talked about the abundance of chances suddenly thrown his way in recent weeks. Unsurprisingly, he was jubilant about his renewed importance.

“I’m getting opportunities and I’m happy and enjoying it a lot. I’m playing consistently and that also helps a lot for my confidence. You can see the day-to-day work on the pitch and the passion of the Madrid supporters certainly helps. I’m delighted and eager to keep this form up.”

“The coach has put his faith in me and I’m making the most of the minutes I’m getting. I hope I can carry on like this because I enjoy being on the pitch. I’m pleased that things are coming off.”

He also threw words of appreciation for the fans in the stands who continued to cheer for him and talked about the ups and downs he has faced so far in his career.

“I’m proud because the fans appreciate what I do on the pitch. I’ve had some difficult moments and the madridistas have given me strength thanks to their support in the streets, on a day-to-day basis and also on social media. They know how I feel about this club, and being appreciated like this is comforting to me and inspires me to keep working as hard as I am doing.”

Asensio then threw some light on what Carlo Ancelotti expected of his players on the field, especially in the final third.

“The coach wants us to be dynamic on the pitch and switch positions a lot. I like to play between the lines and that’s where I do the most damage. Between Fede, myself and the full-back, Nacho today, we changed the positions a lot to prevent the defenders from finding a reference point. That helps the team to move and to exploit the spaces.”

Finally, the Spanish International did not hold back in criticising the pitch and revealed how he overcame the same to score the opener.

“The pitch wasn’t great, and I knew I had to connect cleanly with the ball. I didn’t want to sky it, so I hit it down and it bounced in.”

In light of the winger’s spectacular display last night, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano issues an update on his situation at the club. He revealed that Real Madrid and the player’s entourage are currently in talks over a new contract and both parties hope to reach an agreement in the coming weeks.

In 24 La Liga appearances so far this season, the 27-year-old has scored eight goals and provided five assists. Given that he averages less than 45 minutes per game, the numbers are staggering.

Asensio now has six goal contributions in his last seven appearances across all competitions and has netted in three of his last four games. It remains to be seen if he can break into Ancelotti’s regular starting XI for the coming fixtures with a good run of form behind him, especially with the UEFA Champions League semifinals quickly approaching.

Source: Real Madrid website