Isco accepts Real Madrid substitute role - reports

According to Jugones, a programme on Spanish television station La Sexta, Isco has agreed to stay at Real Madrid next season and accepted he will not in principle be a starter. Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is said to have spoke to the 27-year old midfielder to explain that he wants Isco, but not as one of his standard starting line-up.

Zidane wants to keep Isco

AS revealed, on 5 May, that the French coach had told Real Madrid bosses that he wanted Isco to be involved as part of his plans for next season, and asked that he not be sold. Isco has a contract through to 2022 and was one of the players the club had considered selling to bring in cash for the planned summer acquisitions, taking full advantage of the cachet of the Spanish player outside his native country. According to Le Parisien, PSG were willing to offer Real Madrid €210 million for Isco plus two other players.

Zidane and Isco at Real Madrid

The doubts over Isco continuing at the Bernabéu are based around his poor performances this season, in which he’s played the least amount of football since he joined the club in 2013-14. However, he gets no well with Zidane, and was alongside the Frenchman in the three consecutive Champions League final triumphs. He came on in the second half in Milan, and started in Cardiff and Kiev.

Since he returned to Madrid, Zidane has given Isco more playing time: he’s the fourth most used player by the coach, racking up 541 minutes, only behind Benzema’s 712 and the 720 of Varane and Marcelo.