Real Madrid: Should Marco Asensio play if the season resumes?
By Ben Sundock
Marco Asensio has been rehabbing from a terrible knee injury he suffered way back in the summer and is nearing a return to full training and match play. Would it be smart of Real Madrid to rest him until he is 100 percent in the fall?
I mentioned a few weeks back that two Real Madrid players have benefitted from all matches being suspended indefinitely. One is Marco Asensio who is still working his way back to full fitness and the other is Galactico signing of the summer Eden Hazard who fractured his ankle for the second time during the campaign.
While Hazard’s injury shouldn’t hinder him too much – fingers crossed- when he returns to action, Asensio’s injury is one that should not be taken lightly.
The Spaniard is still very young and at 24-years-old, manager Zinedine Zidane should be hesitant to throw him back into the lineup before he is given a clean bill of health.
The videos and posts on his social media are very promising and show that his range of motion in that injured knee is nearly back to normal.
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However, there are two hurdles Marco Asensio must still clear to be given the go-ahead to return to the lineup. The first is making it through a full training session with no doubt that he is fully fit. Whether that be his overall condition when participating or his movement on and off the ball, that is up to the Sanitas medical staff to decide.
The second would be making some appearances as a substitute. While Zizou has alluded to how excited he is to have Marco back, he needs to cautious with the minutes he gives him.
I would say limiting the player to 15-20 minutes per appearance for at least a month would be a good indicator of how the knee feels. If he seems alright and maintains a good fitness level, those minutes can be ramped up.
Don’t forget that Gareth Bale, Lucas Vazquez, and Rodrygo Goes are all more than capable of playing as right-wingers and have done a good job during Asensio’s absence.
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It has already been a frustrating eight months for Asensio, but rushing him back to play would be costly for the rest of his career. Don’t sit him out for the remainder of this campaign – if teams are able to actually play – but make sure he is limited.