Time for Odegaard to impress with Real Madrid
Fede Valverde's injury opens the door for the Norwegian to establish himself in Zidane's midfield with a packed schedule ahead for the club.
The hangover from Real Madrid's defeat in Valancia last Sunday continues with injuries to Benzema (who felt muscular discomfort and requested to be substituted) and the problem sustained by Uruguayan Fede Valverde after the club on Monday confirmed that the player will be out of action for at least a month after he was been diagnosed with a fracture in the posterior tibial bone in his right leg.
The setback opens the door for Martin Odegaard who himself is just returning following an absence through injury which ruled him out of El Clásico and the trip away to Borussia Mönchengladbach. After a month and a half out of the Real Madrid side, the Norwegian secured playing time at Mestalla featuring for 26 minutes.
In his time on the pitch, Odegaard made 16 accurate passes from his 18 (89%) and provided a fine ball for Lucas Vázquez with the Galician player unable to find the net. Positive signs for the player with domestic action now giving way to the the international break.
International action with Norway
Odegaard will feature for his national side as Norway are set to play three times in the imminent international window with a friendly game against Israel on Wednesday followed by two UEFA Nations League ties: Romania (Sunday 15th) and Austria on Wednesday, November 18th
Packed fixture list
Following his return from international duty, Odegaard and Real Madrid are faced with a frenetic schedule where they will play ten games in 33 days. With Valverde ruled out for at least a month and even longer depending on the recovery time for his fracture, the time is right for Odegaard to prove to Zidane just why Real Madrid pushed for his loan spell at Real Sociedad to come to a premature end.