Alvaro Rodriguez made quite the impression in his few first-team minutes forReal Madridlast season. Such was the Castilla star’s impact that it immediately demanded the management’s attention and consideration to promote him to the first team.
In 84 La Liga minutes last season, the 19-year-old Uruguayan scored one goal and provided one assist. That number would have been even higher had it not been for a few millimetres caught by VAR.
Despite his impressive showing with the first team and Ancelotti’s relative lack of options in the final third, Rodriguez did not make thesquadto travel to the United States for pre-season. The manager’s decision has certainly raised a few eyebrows.
According to ɾєρօɾτs fromMARCA, the decision to exclude the youngster from the tour was a joint decision taken by Ancelotti and Raul Gonzalez keeping the Castilla team’s ρɾєρɑɾɑtion in mind. Moreover, it was seen to be futile to carry many youth stars when the manager had a close to full-strength first-team squad.
Ancelotti’s trust in Rodriguez is complete, the Spanish outlet ɾєρօɾτs. Looking ahead to the 2023-24 season, the youngster will have his share of minutes with the senior team but his value to the Castilla side cannot be undermined.
The club are impressed with the physical form and level displayed by the Uruguayan in the pre-season and they hope to bring him back to his best in the coming weeks. His development is under the joint tutelage of Ancelotti and Raul.
As it stands,Los Blancosplay their first pre-season game late on Sunday night against AC Milan. The game will take place at the Rose Bowl Stadium before the team travels to face Manchester United and Barcelona.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, will undergo pre-season with Castilla under Raul and could hope to join the senior team once the La Liga season gets underway.
