Real Madrid are at the beginning of a new era under Xabi Alonso, and with every new era comes new changes. With a new manager coming in, he is set to have his own ideas on the way he sees fit to lead the team, and this could mean sacrifices.
Despite not yet having had a pre-season, the Spanish tactician already took charge of Los Blancos at the recently concluded Club World Cup, where the team gave a good account of themselves before some old habits crept back in against PSG.
While there were many cues to pick on, on how Xabi wants to lead this team and how he wants them to play, one very glaring situation was that of Brazilian attacker Rodrygo. The Spanish tactician used him very sparingly during the tournament.
Rodrygo getting lost in the shadows
Once touted to be a superstar in the making, Rodrygo has gotten lost amongst others like Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham, making him a genuine candidate to secure a transfer away from the club this summer.
Now, as per Mundo Deportivo, several European clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich, continue to monitor the situation of the 24-year-old attacker, while Manchester City have also been interested in him for a long time now.
The €90m-rated La Liga star featured 54 times for Los Blancos last season, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists. While those are very decent numbers, it is also proof of how demanding Real Madrid can be, that sometimes, decent is not sufficient.
A sacrificial lamb for Real Madrid
The biggest issue for Rodrygo has been the fact that it looks almost impossible to accommodate Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and the 24-year-old in the same team, as all of them prefer playing on the left and are predominantly right-footed.
With the arrival of Mastantuono, the emergence of Arda Guler, and the curious case of Endrick, Madrid can afford to let Rodrygo leave without it resulting in a massive drop in quality. It remains to be seen how much they demand for the versatile Brazilian and which club is willing to pay that. Let’s wait and see how this situation plays out.
