Notably, Real Madrid have used very few youth players in the first team so far this season, despite Carlo Ancelotti’s side having suffered an eye-opening number of injuries in recent weeks.
Instead, the Italian has relied on his small squad, which has had mixed results. However, one youngster that has broken into the first team of late is Alvaro Rodriguez.
On the back of an excellent U20 Sudamericano campaign for Uruguay, Rodriguez was called up for Real Madrid’s La Liga fixture against Osasuna last weekend. He made an instant impact, providing an assist for Marco Asensio on his league debut.
He went one better on Saturday as he scored his first goal for Los Blancos in the derby draw against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, heading home from a Luka Modric corner. After the match, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed (via Fabrizio Romano) that Rodriguez will continue to play his part in the first team over the remainder of the season.
“Alvaro Rodriguez will be a first team player next season. We don’t have another player like him. I will talk to Raul about Alvaro. He will play for us and for Castilla this season.”
Rodriguez could be the answer to the striker problem at Real Madrid, with Karim Benzema having struggled for fitness for much of this season. The 18-year-old could be the perfect backup to the Frenchman.
