Real Madrid: Don't go back too soon, Valdano warns Odegaard
Jorge Valdano has urged Martin Odegaard to stay on at Real Sociedad next season after he scored against parent club Real Madrid on Thursday.
Jorge Valdano has encouraged Martin Odegaard to remain at Real Sociedad for the entirety of his two-year loan spell from Real Madrid, telling Spanish radio that the midfielder could endanger his development if he returns to Los Blancos too early.
Only go back to Real Madrid to be a regular, Valdano tells Odegaard
Speaking to Onda Cero after Odegaard scored against Madrid to help knock his parent club out of the Copa del Rey on Thursday, former Bernabéu player and coach Valdano said: "It wouldn't be a bad idea for him to stay at Real Sociedad for another year.
"He should only go back [to Madrid] if he's going to be a regular starter - he shouldn't go back just to see what happens. At the end of the day, that would only serve to stunt the progress of a player like him."
Zidane team selection had big hand in Real Sociedad defeat, says Valdano
Asked about Madrid's 4-3 Copa quarter-final defeat to La Real, Valdano pointed to the effect of head coach Zinedine Zidane naming a team featuring less-frequently used players such as Alphonse Areola, Marcelo and Brahim Díaz. "Marcelo hasn't been a [regular] starter in a little while and he's a player who needs to get a few games in a row under his belt to pick up match sharpness," the Argentine said.
Valdano also bemoaned the absence of holding midfielder Casemiro, describing Zidane's decision to leave out the Brazilian as "a change too far".