Real Madrid News
Real Madrid loanee goes viral after disastrous performance vs Torino in Serie A
Franco Mastantuono’s loan move to Fiorentina was supposed to provide the fresh start he desperately needed after a difficult debut season at Real Madrid.
Instead, the Argentine is finding life in Italy just as challenging, with his latest outing against Torino on Saturday offering little encouragement.
Three games into the Serie A season, Mastantuono is yet to find his feet, and Fiorentina’s results have been equally poor.
A missed chance that summed it all up
As reported by Diario SPORT, Mastantuono had one of Fiorentina’s best opportunities of the first half against Torino, latching onto a loose ball and finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
It was the kind of chance he was sent to Italy to convert. But the 19-year-old failed to find the net, and the miss proved costly.
Coach Fabio Grosso withdrew him at half-time out of frustration.
The game ended in another defeat for Florentina, who lost 2-1 to fall to three consecutive losses at the start of the campaign. Soon after the game, videos of Mastantuono’s performance against Torino got viral on X.
They now sit in the bottom reaches of the Serie A table, with zero points from their opening three fixtures.
A worrying pattern
Mastantuono has started all three matches, but the results tell a damning story: defeats to Roma, Frosinone and now Torino without a single goal or assist to his name.
The Argentine constantly offers himself and looks to get involved, but he remains wasteful in front of goal, the very issue he was sent to Florence to resolve.
His move to Fiorentina was designed to give him the continuity and reduced pressure he lacked at Real Madrid, where his first season fell well short of the sky-high expectations that accompanied his €60 million transfer from River Plate.
Mastantuono himself admitted in August that his year in Madrid “was not easy,” and Fiorentina appeared to be the ideal environment to rebuild his confidence in a league that should suit his skillset.
There is plenty of season left for both the player and the club to turn things around, but the early signs have been concerning.
For Real Madrid, who are covering part of his salary during the loan, the hope is that this rough patch proves temporary.
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.
