Real Madrid Castilla: Where does Reinier fit in Raul’s squad?
By Ben Sundock
Real Madrid‘s newest and only signing of the January window was officially presented on Tuesday afternoon in the Santiago Bernabéu. Reinier Jesus Carvalho becomes the third Brazilian teenager in three years to sign for Los Blancos and will begin his career on the Real Madrid ‘B’ team.
Here we go again with the “here comes the future Neymar” claims. President Florentino Perez has been on a Brazilian bender the last few years signing Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and now, Reinier from Flamengo.
The midfielder joins Real Madrid much like his fellow countrymen at 18-years-old, but unlike Vini and Rodrygo, the club will place the newest signing on the Castilla team under the guidance of Raúl González who is finally beginning to implement his plan with the youth side.
There have been three players who have really impressed this season despite the team’s struggles: Miguel Baeza, Alvaro Fidalgo, and Marvin Park. Injecting Reinier into the midfield to play closely with these guys will take the team to another level and help us to see what the future of the club truly holds.
Baeza leads the team in goals with nine thus far and Fidalgo sits tied for second with four. Park sits in third with three goals thus far but his interplay with the other midfielders has been exceptional and Raul has taken notice by featuring him in 24 of the 25 league matches.
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It would be interesting to see if Raul moved Fidalgo to the right to accommodate Reinier as the center attacking midfielder directly behind the forward line or if he would play him deeper as a midfielder. While with Flamengo and on international duty, Reinier has thrived in the middle of the park playing in a more advanced role.
The answer is a simple one from what I have seen in watching Reinier’s highlights. His pace, finishing, and foot-skills are by far his strengths, therefore, playing him deeper in the midfield would be a waste of everyone’s time and the player’s talent.
In 14 appearances in the Brasileiro Série A, Reinier’s passing stats were woeful as he averaged a completion percentage just below 80. It’s hard to find a direct comparison for the teenager, but his attacking nature could help Baeza and the forwards find more space.
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There are reports that Reinier could make his first Castilla appearance as soon as this Sunday when Real Madrid faces SS Reyes and I think it would be justified with how well the Brazilian has been in Olympic qualifying and the need for more goals (Castilla has 36 goals in 25 matches).
Raul has a wickedly talented player now at his disposal and Reinier is yet another young prospect that the club is wanting to develop internally. Don’t expect a loan deal this summer either if the club can secure him an international spot on the first team.