Real Madrid News
Real Madrid boss keeping a close tab on new signing amid strong performances for RM Castilla
Among all the signings Real Madrid made in the summer, Sergio Martinez’s name went under the radar the most.
The youngster joined RM Castilla for a fee of €3 million following an excellent stint at Racing Santander, which had made him one of the most sought-after young footballers in Spain.
Almost two months into the new season, Martinez has been performing well for RM Castilla and is starting to catch the eye of Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho keeping tabs on Martinez
According to Diario AS, the Real Madrid manager has firmly kept his sights on Sergio Martinez, a midfielder with a tremendous amount of potential.
The ongoing international break has given Mourinho more time to keep an eye on the youngster, as he was present in RM Castilla’s recent victory over Atletico Madrileno at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on Friday.
Although it wasn’t the best of performances from Martinez, it is firm reminder that Mourinho is very keen on observing the progress of the Spaniard.
Martinez had earlier impressed the former AS Roma manager in the Under-20 Intercontinental Cup at the Bernabeu, in front of 50,000 people.
Martinez must be patient
As far as the first-team is concerned, Martinez has yet to make his debut for Real Madrid, even though he was involved in two league matches at the start of the season when he was still at Racing.
Given that he had already scored in his debut La Liga game, one would expect Martinez to be frustrated at the lack of opportunities at Real Madrid.
However, the player must remain patient. He has already strong qualities at RM Castilla and has a playing style similar to Toni Kroos, something the club have been lacking for years now.
Real Madrid’s current midfield is also far from perfect and Mourinho has been yearning for someone who can control the game in the middle of the park.
Sergio Martinez has the quality to become that solution in the Los Blancos midfield. But he must wait for his breakthrough, knowing that even a minor injury crisis could force Mourinho to try him out soon in the first-team.
It has been an unusually long September international break, but Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho will have begun preparing for club football to resume this weekend.
Los Blancos are gradually getting their squad back together after the international break, with Denzel Dumfries, Brahim Diaz, Bernardo Silva, Vinicius Junior and Endrick having now completed their national-team commitments.
All five players are set to return to Madrid, giving Mourinho an important group back as preparations resume ahead of a difficult game against Villarreal.
Mourinho’s numbers begin to improve
The timing is particularly useful for Mourinho because international breaks can leave coaches with very little time to work with their full squads.
Dumfries and Bernardo are two players whose roles remain particularly interesting.
The Dutchman provides Mourinho with a powerful option on the right, while Bernardo’s ability to control possession could become increasingly valuable as Madrid continue searching for the right midfield balance.
Vinicius returning is equally significant. The Brazilian has endured a difficult opening period of the season by his standards.
Getting back to Madrid early and having the extra days of training could be beneficial in helping him rediscover his best level.
Another opportunity for Endrick
Endrick’s return could be especially important on an individual level.
The 20-year-old has barely featured for Madrid this season, playing only four official minutes, with injury also affecting his opportunities.
His lack of football has already created questions about whether another loan could become necessary in January.
The coming weeks therefore represent an important period for the young striker. With Kylian Mbappe still recovering from an injury, he could get an opportunity against Villarreal.
Brahim’s return gives Mourinho another attacking option, while having five internationals back should also allow the manager to try out tactical ideas.
International breaks often force clubs to prepare for matches with players arriving in stages and carrying different workloads.
The length of this break has almost made this feel like a mini pre-season, and it remains to be seen what improvements we see from the team once club football resumes.
