Marcus Rashford on the radar, Ronaldo’s latest award, 17-year-old wonderkid’s next move and other news as TheHardTackle summarizes the most intriguing news surrounding Real Madrid.
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford on Los Blanco’s radar
Spanish publication OK Diario (h/t Goal) have sensationally claimed Real Madrid are interested in signing the highly-rated English forward. As per the report, representatives from the Spanish giants were in attendance for England’s clash against Scotland to witness Rashford in action, and will continue to monitor him for a while before taking a decision.
After breaking-out through the youth ranks last season, the 19-year-old has emerged as one of the best prospects in the country, having scored against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City. On the back of his meteoric rise, Manchester United promptly extended his contract until 2020 at the end of last season.
But it is worth pointing out though, if Real Madrid are to follow-up on their interest in Rashford with a concrete bid, the player would have to wait until January 2018 to officially play for the Spanish club due to the ongoing transfer embargo.
Ronaldo named as the best footballer of 2016
Sports website Goal recently revealed their annual list of best players, with Cristiano Ronaldo topping the list for this year’s edition. Ronaldo has enjoyed an incredible year both at club as well as international level, winning the Champions League in May while lifting the Euros 2016 in July, scoring a whopping 44 goals in the process in 2016.
GOAL: The world’s 50 best football players of 2016.
1. Cristiano
5. Bale pic.twitter.com/b5yud2SEdO— M.A.J (@UItraSuristic) November 11, 2016
Gareth Bale (5), Pepe (12), Modric (18), Ramos (19), Kroos (27), Marcelo (31) and Casemiro (41) were the other Real Madrid recipients in the list, with their respective ranks mentioned in the brackets.
You can read the complete list of Goal 50 – 2016 here.
Starlet could go out on loan to France
The highly-rated Martin Odegaard could soon be going out on loan to Ligue 1 side Rennes claim English newspaper, The Sun. The report suggests the French club wanted to acquire the player on loan in the summer but couldn’t as FIFA prohibits players under the age of 18 to go out on loan. However, Odegaard turns 18 in December, which would enable Rennes to take the young Norwegain on loan.
Former Manchester United and Arsenal player Mikael Silvestre, who happens to be the teenage protege’s adviser, confirmed that a short-term move away from the club could be on the cards in January. Martin Odegaard has been enduring some tough times at Real Madrid since his transfer, so a temporary move away for some time will definitely bring some respite for the player.
Leicester City star heaps praises on Zidane; fuels speculations
25-year-old Riyad Mahrez was full of praises for Real Madrid boss and legend Zinedine Zidane, claiming the Frenchman is the best coach in the world at the moment. Not surprisingly, the comment sparked a few rumours, with Madrid based newspaper Marca suggesting it to be a come-and-get-me-plea from the Algerian international.
The Leicester City star also stated Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo ranks among his best players of 2016. Mahrez was heavily linked with the Madrid based club in the summer, but the player ended up signing an extension with the defending Premier League champions in August.
Real Madrid star allowed to return early from international duty
Real Madrid have been hampered by an injury crisis ahead of the fiercely-contested Madrid derby which is set to take place just after the international break. The club currently has Ramos, Casemiro, Pepe, Kroos and Benzema on the nursing table ahead of the big clash, with Modric recently recovering from his knee injury while Kovacic sustaining a minor knock during one of the games in the international break.
However, in some good news for the club, Marceloa has been allowed to return back to Madrid by Brazil’s head-coach Tite after the full-back picked up a booking in Brazil’s match against arch-rivals Argentina, which means Marcelo will be suspended for their next game. The left-back will utilize this period to prepare for next Saturday’s Madrid derby, claims Goal.
