Real Madrid's concern over Kubo's situation at Villarreal
Unai Emery was insistent on Villarreal signing Kubo. But the Villarreal coach has barely used the young Real Madrid loanee so far this season.
Madrid’s loan assignment plans for Japanese youngster Take Kubo have so far not gone as expected this season.
With around 30 proposals made for Kubo, several made before the summer, the priority for Madrid was that the 19-year-old midfielder join a club where he would have plenty of game time.
Bayern Munich, for example, offered €7 million for the Japan international but that option was ruled out due to the risk that he would have fewer minutes, as well as the possibility of the German club meeting Madrid in the Champions League.
Los Blancos eventually settled on Villarreal, where it was expected he would play 40 games this season. But that has so far not been the case, which is something that is concerning Madrid’s sporting direction.
Kubo: 54 minutes in five games at Villarreal
Kubo has so far played just 54 minutes in five games for Unai Emery, who has yet to start the young Madrid loanee. That’s an average of 11 minutes per game, with his longest appearence being 16 minutes at Camp Nou in the 4-0 defeat to Barcelona.
The situation has left some at the Bernabéu scratching their heads, particularly after Emery’s insistence on signing him.
At the moment, Madrid are not considering breaking the loan agreement so early on in the season. But there is some concern which they hope will be mitigated this month. Villarreal have already indicated that the start of the Europa League will open up more opportunities for Kubo.
Meanwhile, the player himself is not enjoying sitting on the bench. But he remains convinced that he will have opportunities and plans to take advantage of them.