Miguel Gutierrez in starting eleven, to influence Marcelo and Reguilon decisions
Real Madrid were able to get a glimpse of Miguel Gutierrez after his cameo performances from the bench this season while making his debut against Cadiz last month.
Zinedine Zidane has been dealt with a big blow after the confirmation of Ferland Mendy’s unavailability for the rest of the season due to muscle injury.
The French manager is now left with veteran defender Marcelo and Gutierrez as the only left-back options. The former appears to have suffered a knock against Sevilla last week, and his form has also been a concern.
It presented an excellent opportunity for Gutierrez to make his way into the starting line-ups for the remaining games. Gutierrez seems to have grabbed the chance against Granada with both hands. He was at ease in defending as well as in attack. His excellent assist for the first goal to set it up for Modric, was not to be missed. That set the pace of the match, which Real Madrid eventually won 4-1 and kept Los Blancos in the title hunt.
He had some game time in Osasuna (substituted Marcelo in 66th minute) and Sevilla (substituted Marcelo in 64th minute) match. After Granada match, the 19-year-old could well assume the first-team role.
Real Madrid previously lost many talents like, Achraf Hakimi, and some players are on loan. The Madrid side have to decide for several positions this summer, considering both short-term needs and long-term prospects.
Bruno Iglesias – the new Kaka in the making
Bruno Iglesias is one of the players to watch out for in the future as he has been likened to Brazilian legend Kaka after consistently impressing in the youth ranks.
The 18-year-old has been named on the bench for Castilla – Real’s reserves team – and he is not away from breaking into the first team.
Los Blancos have had a long list of injury problems this season, and as a result, Zidane turned to the likes of Victor Chust and Antonio Blanco from the U-23 side.
Real Madrid’s plans for the summer transfer window are still uncertain, and talents like Iglesias can quickly grab their opportunity if that comes their way.
Roberto Martinez (former Real Madrid academy coach): "In a short period of time he became a player with a constant improvement in qualities, and now he does the things that Zidane or Kaka did."
