Real Madrid: Grading the 2021-22 loanees so far this season

AM Takefusa Kubo

Out of the six players on this list, Takefusa Kubo has the most promising future in football. Brahim Diaz could be a great player one day, but Kubo is the one who has serious superstar potential. Even above Reinier. It’s just a question if he will fulfill it.

Kubo is back in Mallorca with the club back in La Liga. His loan moves to Villarreal and Getafe did not work out at all last season, as Kubo could not build on an excellent second half of the 2019-2020 season at Mallorca. He had to fight to become a starter, and he did so with grit.

The exciting dribbler and underrated finisher has not really been able to show off those skills in 2021-2022. He is averaging 1.7 dribbles completed per game. 1.7 fouls drawn per game, and 1.3 key passes per contest. Those are decent numbers, but when you watch him play, you don’t get the feeling he is dominating like he should be. A recent injury has not helped matters, taking Kubo out of the lineup and slowing his momentum.

This is the 20-year-old’s third season with a top-flight Spanish club. It’s fair to be patient with him, given his age, but it is also fair to want more. So far, he has played even fewer minutes than Victor Chust has at Cadiz due to the injury, and that’s not ideal. But there is nowhere to go up from here. We must believe in Kubo’s talent. A big second half to the current campaign is well within reach.

Rating: 5.5

ST Borja Mayoral

Borja Mayoral was the best Real Madrid loanee last season, surprising many people and even making some Madridistas wondering if he should have been picked over Luka Jovic all along.

But this season, Mayoral has cut a frustrated figure. He is not playing much at Roma under Jose Mourinho, though new additions up top, specifically star man Tammy Abraham, have probably played the biggest role in the Spanish striker taking a backseat.

Mayoral understandably wants a new loan or even a transfer to Fiorentina, who are interested. The 24-year-old has played just 27 minutes this season, averaging a comical 9 minutes per appearance off the bench. He deserves better than this, hence why he wants a move.

Rating: 0, like Reinier