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Real Madrid: Grading the loanees at October break

By Kevin Parvizi

Achraf Hakimi of Borussia Dortmund (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Achraf Hakimi of Borussia Dortmund (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images) /
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MALLORCA, SPAIN – OCTOBER 06: Takefusa Kubo of RCD Mallorca walks to the pitch during the Liga match between RCD Mallorca and RCD Espanyol at Iberostar Estadi on October 06, 2019 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
MALLORCA, SPAIN – OCTOBER 06: Takefusa Kubo of RCD Mallorca walks to the pitch during the Liga match between RCD Mallorca and RCD Espanyol at Iberostar Estadi on October 06, 2019 in Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images) /

Mallorca AM Takefusa Kubo

Takefusa Kubo is one of the most enjoyable players to watch in YouTube highlight clips, because the Japanese midfielder provides moments of brilliance that inspire absolute joy in the fan. Kubo’s creativity and dribbling ability are top notch, and he can provide relegation side Mallorca a needed boost off the bench.

But that’s honestly been a bit of a problem from a Real Madrid perspective. Kubo has made more appearances off the bench for Mallorca than he’s started, even though he seems to be the club’s most skilled player. Although Kubo can’t be Mallorca’s savior, a glance at their standing in the table indicates that they should try to take more risks with their young standout.

Kubo’s future is undeniably bright, and Real will hope he’ll get more minutes as the season continues. Playing time is crucial for any player but especially for Kubo, who has the awareness and intelligence to make an early impact but just needs more game situations to develop that consistency.

One statistic that needs to improve? Kubo’s 67.1% passing accuracy, as per WhoScored.com.

That said, the dynamism and talent are clearly there, as evidenced by his recent displays against Atletico Madrid and Espanyol. The man is like Eden Hazard when it comes to drawing fouls, too.

Grade: B-

Wolverhampton CB Jesus Vallejo

Jesus Vallejo is one of the most promising center backs in Spain, which is why it’s so concerning to see that he’s barely figured in Wolverhampton’s plans so far in 2019-2020.

If Nacho Fernandez decided to join Julen Lopetegui at Sevilla, then Vallejo would have been the fourth-choice center back behind starters Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane and summer signing Eder Militao. Instead, Vallejo was loaned to Wolves in the hopes that he’d get playing time for a Premier League side competing in the Europa League.

However, the 22-year-old has appeared in just one Premier League game this season and has also barely distinguished himself in Wolves’ Europa League contests or in international appearances with Spain’s youth team.

Hopefully, Vallejo will have a rebound soon, but it’s too early to really draw any conclusions from this potentially troubling loan spell in England.

Grade: D

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