Three reasons why Real Madrid must trust Martin Ødegaard in 21/22

A look to the future:

Luka Modric, despite his physic defying ways, is now 35, Toni Kroos also is now on the other side of 30. Two pillars of Real’s midfield, two key cogs of Real’s recent successes. Trying to replace players of that ability is no easy task.

In Luka Modric, you’ve got to replace his incredible work-rate, his flawless ability on the ball, and his creative spark. With Toni Kroos? You’ve got to try and replace a passing cyborg, who orchestrates your tempo like Hans Zimmer orchestrates epic movie soundtracks – at a freakishly consistent rate.

Whilst Ødegaard may not replicate the output of either man, he does bring a sense of elite ability that they did. He is by no means a like-for-like replacement, but should he reach the potential we all know he has, he will create his own chapter.

He has already shown he can put up league topping numbers, he has shown he can create moments of magic when Real need it. We also saw what he is capable of in both his time in the Eredivisie and at Real Sociedad.

What Real Madrid have in Ødegaard is a future world star, a diamond. With Real still undergoing a transitional phase, it is imperative that they trust in what they have – there is no need for big outlays on elite midfielders when they’ve got one sitting on their books.