Real Madrid: 5 young players who will shine for the remainder of 2020-21

Arsenal CAM Martin Odegaard

Now, we move to a loanee. Martin Odegaard joined Arsenal in the winter transfer market after failing to crack a starting spot in the Real Madrid lineup. In fairness to Zinedine Zidane, the manager wanted to protect Odegaard after his knee injury last season with Real Sociedad, and it was also difficult to bench Luka Modric at any point or even bench Casemiro to accommodate Odegaard with a Toni Kroos and Modric double-pivot.

Odegaard has a big chance to impress in North London, and he certainly took it in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 against Olympiacos. The Norwegian’s strike after cutting in from the right-hand side has to be seen to be believed. That goal is an example of the kind of magic Madridistas want to see from the chance-creating 22-year-old in the 2021-2022 season. Look for him to build on that performance in European competition.

Real Madrid FW Rodrygo Goes

Another first-team forward to watch closely, Rodrygo Goes had a nice return from injury as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad. But he was not nearly as effective that following weekend at Atletico Madrid, as the young Brazilian was isolated on the right-hand side of the formation with Marco Asensio playing just as unimaginatively on the left.

In Rodrygo’s case, we can say that he wasn’t at 100 percent and probably wasn’t ready to start, least of all against a defense of Atleti’s caliber. Rodrygo will be itching to shine next week against Atalanta, and based on his production prior to his injury, it’s very likely he’ll end up being Real’s best winger by the end of the 2020-2021 campaign. The fanbase already loves him 100 percent.