Real Madrid News
Luka Modric handpicks soon-to-be Real Madrid player to take over his No. 10 shirt
It is often difficult to come to terms with the fact that Luka Modric is 37 years old. The Croatian international still dominates the middle of the park the way he always has and shows no signs of slowing down for either club or country.
While he has pushed himself continually to prolong his career in Europe, one knows that his departure from the club is not far away. Many expect the 2023/24 campaign to be his final dance with the white shirt, and it appears that Modric knows the writing is on the wall too.
According to reports from Volkan Demir, the midfield maestro recently spoke to soon-to-be Real Madrid player Arda Guler to coerce him to sign for the club.
As part of his conversation, he confirmed that he would not continue at the club past next summer and placed a lot of responsibility on Guler’s shoulders.
“I’m leaving next season, and I want you to have my jersey (10) next,” Modric is understood to have told the 18-year-old wonderkid.
Los Blancos endured a rough battle with arch-rivals Barcelona for the 18-year-old’s acquisition. After trailing for the most part, it was their offer that prevailed and the deal is now considered to be very close to completion.
Güler is expected to Carlo Ancelotti’s men at the earliest and will most likely make the trip to the USA for pre-season. It remains to be seen, however, if the manager considers the teenager an option in midfield or to play on the right side of the attack.
As for Modric, his role in the team this season is expected to be slightly subdued given the arrival of Jude Bellingham. Nevertheless, one can remain assured that he will have his usual decisive part to play when the big games arrive.
Life at Real Madrid has gotten off to a rather torrid start for Turkish starlet Arda Guler, who has already faced a large number of setbacks since singing for Los Blancos.
Aged just 18, the winger-slash-midfielder has already picked up seven injuries in his senior career, which is cause for serious concern, especially since a couple of them have affected his ligaments – which is always bad news.
Hotly-tipped to be an exciting addition to the Madrid squad going forward, the youngster had to drop out of their pre-season tour early due to a meniscus injury.
This was treated conservatively, but after that did not yield good results, he had to undergo a procedure and seemed set to make the squad against Las Palmas, before another injury setback.
According to Diario AS, the new problem can keep him out for three weeks to a month, which means his Real Madrid debut may have to wait till early November, after the first El Clasico of the season on 28th October.
Guler’s history of fitness problems
In their report, AS also state that the Turkish teenager seems to have a propensity for injuries, accumulating seven of them in his career already.
There is also word going around that his recovery from this meniscus issue was rushed and not handled adequately.
That, combined with a stroke of bad luck means Real Madrid have to be very mindful of how Guler is reintegrated into the squad going forward.
This new injury is reportedly a thigh problem which will also need to be treated with caution.
A special recovery plan
Carlo Ancelotti stated before and after the Las Palmas clash that the plan was for Guler to have some minutes against the Canary Islanders, but he said that genetics, luck and a lack of sharpness have a big part to play in this relapse.
The Italian manager did say that this issue is not as serious, but all signs indicate that there is an urgent need to work on the youngster’s conditioning.
AS thus say that a specific plan has been devised since the summer to enhance Guler’s fitness and his resistance.
This is a programme that is reportedly similar to the one Rodrygo followed when he arrived from Brazil, much thinner than he is today, but without having sacrificed his football qualities.
