Real Madrid News
Former Real Madrid starlet not ruling out future return, reveals special advice from Kroos
Nico Paz is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents to have come through the youth ranks at Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old Argentine wonderkid made his senior debut last season under Carlo Ancelotti and even scored a fine goal in a UEFA Champions League clash against Napoli.
However, given the stiff competition for places in the Real Madrid senior setup, Nico opted to move on this past summer, signing for newly-promoted Serie A side Como.
Under Cesc Fabregas, the young attacking midfielder is showcasing glimpses of his immense quality, with Real Madrid closely watching his progress.
Now, speaking in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Nico has refused to rule out a future return to Real Madrid, although he is currently fully focused on succeeding at Como.
“A future at Real Madrid? I hope so. But now I’m with Como and I will give my all,” he said.
It must be noted that Real Madrid have retained a buyback option as well as a future sell-on clause for young Nico when they let him go to Como.
Meanwhile, the Argentine prodigy also revealed a special advice that Real Madrid legend Toni Kroos had given him before retiring.
“When Kroos retired, he came and told me to keep fighting, that I had to find my place, that he believed in me and that is a good memory that I took with me,” said the 19-year-old, which is what he is now doing away at Como.
Recalling his interactions with Carlo Ancelotti when he was part of the first team last season, Nico said:
“Ancelotti was happy for me after the goal against Napoli. He knew what it meant to me. He is someone who knows where to put you and asks a lot of you. He knows how to get the most out of his players.
“He told me to show personality with the ball and to be calm.”
With the international break done and dusted, Real Madrid will be back in action this weekend in La Liga, where they will be looking to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.
Coming up for Jose Mourinho & co., who lost their last game before the international break, will be a home game against Villarreal on Saturday.
And, leading up to the game, the Spanish capital club have received welcome news on the injury front.
Mbappe back in group training
Indeed, as per MARCA, Kylian Mbappe will be available for Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Having been training individually so far this week, the France captain rejoined group training under Mourinho today, taking a concrete step forward towards making himself available for the game.
The forward looked relaxed and ready to work, putting his boots back on and joining the group as Real Madrid prepare for a demanding run of fixtures throughout October.
And, unless there is any unforeseen setback, everything suggests that Mbappe will be ready to start against the Yellow Submarine come Saturday.
Under scrutiny
The past few weeks have been nothing short of eventful for Mbappe, with his every action and movement under heavy scrutiny.
Playing for France, in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial debut, the 27-year-old superstar scored a goal before asking for a substitution due to a knee injury.
Having flown back to Madrid, he underwent tests, which confirmed the injury, although it was not as serious as was initially feared.
The forward then took week-long holiday with his partner that sparked some debate among supporters and attracted criticism from multiple quarters.
Mbappe returned to Madrid on Monday and participated in individual sessions at Valdebebas over the past couple of days. Now he has resumed normal training with his teammates.
There had been doubts over whether Mbappe would be able to face Villarreal after he picked up the injury on 25 September.
However, the recovery plan followed by the forward appears to have worked, and he is now expected to be in a fully fit condition for Saturday’s match.
