REAL MADRID
Will Marco Asensio stay at Madrid despite rumours linking him to Aston Villa?
Asensio will play against Getafe in what will be a game that showcases his worth to Real Madrid... or to teams around Europe.
Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio knows that for him, the most crucial moment of the season is now. Whatever happens with his future, striking gold or form in the remaining games is essential. And as the opportunities fall by the wayside, tonight’s starting position in the XI against Getafe (3 p.m. ET) comes like rain in a desert. He will start and, presumably, will play the full 90 minutes: something that hasn’t happened at the Bernabéu since the 2-3 loss against Villarreal at Easter.
That fateful night, Asensio played his part, but he continues to be surrounded by an aura of uncertainty. The Bernabéu has chanted for Ceballos, Nacho, Modric, Kroos... but not him. Not yet. And his contract ends in a month and a half. It’s a night to raise his voice and be heard.
Asensio will start against Getafe in LaLiga
The footballer, as AS has said, has decided: he wants to stay. The issue is that the club don’t see his situation in such black and white terms. As such, the operation is in limbo, on a tightrope that is walked upon very slowly by the club, meaning that almost no progress has been made (and Aston Villa want to take him away to Birmingham). AS can also say that the player’s entourage, when asked about the operation, transmit “optimism”. Up and down the corridors of the Bernabéu, despite them cooking on a low heat, also see Asensio’s renewal landing on the table before the clock strikes twelve.
But to scare away the monsters, Asensio needs a night to show himself as the hero. He needs a night that, even if he is not the subject of renewal chants from the crowd, it is not one in which the fans are glad to see the back of him come the final whistle. And it must be today, against Getafe: the losses of Rodrygo and Benzema, added to Valverde’s fatigue (“I’m dead!”, he confessed after the Copa del Rey final) and the rotations that there will be, the club with their eyes on Manchester, opens the door to the XI. The forward line will likely look like nothing we have seen this season: Mariano the spearhead with Vinicius on the left and Marco on the right.
What are Asensio’s statistics this season?
It has been difficult for the forward to appear in the important matches, Clásicos, derbies or European games: he has only started in one of the 12 matches that have been played. He is having to make his mark on smaller games, but he is doing it. Asensio has 11 goals and 8 assists this season; in other words, he participates in a goal every 93 minutes... not too shabby at all.
What cannot be taken away from the player is his decisiveness in certain moments and his capacity to influence the scoreline if not the game itself. In recent months he has become strong candidate for player number 12 in the squad, a role that excites him, one in which he feels comfortable, one in which would make him sign a contract. But in the absence of a pen and paper, today, against Getafe, it’s his turn to make Madrid aware of what they could be letting go.
