Real Madrid: Four things to look forward to during 2020-21

The return of loanees

Zidane has personally recalled Norwegian sensation Martin Ødegaard, who was supposed to be playing for Real Sociedad for the second season of his two-year loan pact. This is a signal of intent from the manager who wants no room for complacency in the dressing room and seems to be hell-bent on improving the results even though they were pretty decent last season.

Ødegaard’s arrival will add depth to the midfield. His pizzazz on the ball will give nightmares to the opposition as he will be one of the top assist providers in the team. He is one of the most elite midfielders at the moment and at 21, the way is only up for him.

It would be interesting to see how he fits in the team, something you can read more about here. Sharing the dressing room with Isco, Toni Kroos, and Luka Modrić will certainly help Ødegaard settle quicker and morph into one of the mainstays of the team. His co-existence and chemistry with Fede Valverde on the pitch get me excited too.

Andriy Lunin would be returning from his loan at Real Oviedo. His previous two loan stints with Real Valladolid and  Leganés did not go to plan, but he helped Real Oviedo to stay in the Segunda Division as they constantly battled relegation. The 21-year-old’s return as a backup to Thibaut Courtois shows that Real Madrid and Zidane have placed their faith in the budding custodian. He will play a few La Liga/Champions League games in addition to being the first-choice Copa del Rey keeper.

Real Madrid are running thin at the right-back position. Dani Carvajal was the only natural right-back in the squad, deputized by Lucas Vázquez and even Ferland Mendy. Álvaro Odriozola was loaned out to Bayern Munich in January but reports in Spain have suggested that he wouldn’t be loaned out or sold to another team as Zidane wants to give Odriozola another chance to prove himself.