[ad_1]
Real Madrid midfielder Isco is so low in the pecking order of Zinedine Zidane that his coach hasn’t even asked him to warm up in recent games, according to reports from Spain.
Isco was once a key asset in Zidane’s first spell at the Bernabéu and was often linked with big moves to the Premier League after shining for Los Blancos, helping them win LaLiga twice and the Champions League four times.
But his levels have dropped in the past two years and he has played just nine games in all competitions this season, including just five starts, with Marca claiming he has ‘disappeared’ from Zidane’s plans.
Isco’s last game was in a 2-0 loss to Shahktar Donetsk in the Champions League earlier in the month, when he entered the final 13 minutes. Since then, Madrid have played three and won three: a 1-0 win over Sevilla and a 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach and their rivals Atlético de Madrid.
The 28-year-old was not even asked to warm up for those games, adds the report, which says his future at Madrid seems “less and less likely.”
The transfer window opens in about two weeks, and Isco is set to be one of the players most tied to a club exit, as Zidane has several options ahead of him. The club has been hard hit financially by the coronavirus pandemic and could be tempted to profit.
The attacking midfielder has Federico Valverde, Lucas Vásquez, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr ahead in the hierarchical order, says Marca, and highlights that the Spaniard ‘wants to feel like a protagonist again’ with Euro 2020 that is approaching next summer.
Spanish coach Luis Enrique has been blessed with a talented squad and Isco may have to find another club in January for a chance to be selected.
After beating Atlético 2-0 on Saturday, Zidane praised his midfielders, calling them fucking great, ‘explaining Isco’s challenge to enter the team.
‘We use [Modric and Kroos] to find the way out, it’s true. We had to.
‘And then, playing fast from side to side and with diagonals, we found gaps. They are fucking great; they are exceptional. ‘
Isco joined Madrid from Malaga in 2013-14 and has since played 316 times, scoring 51 goals. In 2012, he was named the Golden Boy of Europe, the award given to the most promising player in the world at the time.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
