Real Madrid should not even consider loaning Luka Jovic out in January

Luka Jovic rose to the occasion against Real Sociedad in Real Madrid’s latest La Liga fixture. The Serbian international was hurriedly brought onto the field after Karim Benzema picked up a knock early in the first half and asked to be substituted.

On came a 23-year-old Luka Jovic from the bench without even thoroughly warming up. The former Eintracht Frankfurt striker had only received 77 minutes in the league so far before being called upon to fill in Benzema’s role. Despite the lack of minutes, Jovic shook off the rust from his feet and ended up being awarded the man of the match after scoring a goal and setting up Vinicius Jr with an assist. 

It almost felt like Luka Jovic had redeemed himself after going through a slow and difficult patch in his career since signing for Los Blancos in the summer of 2019. The 23-year-old took his chance when his team needed him the most and his performance against Real Sociedad has certainly done wonders for his confidence levels.

Since Benzema trained alone with Gareth Bale before the Inter Milan clash, Luka Jovic was given yet another opportunity to build his case on why Real Madrid splashed 60 million euros on him. Although Jovic failed to get amongst the goals, the Serbian did everything right against Inter and played a key role in distributing possession in the final third.

"“Luka Jović played very well. He helped the team in attack, in moving the ball, he controlled the ball well. He had a good match.” – Carlo Ancelotti"

Luka Jovic has improved his all-around game

Jovic finished the game with two key passes as he combined well with Vinicius Jr and Rodyrgo Goes on the wings. The Serbia international frequently dropped deep and drifted wide when needed to help in the build-up and put in an honest shift to help the team. All that was missing was a goal and he did come close to scoring on two occasions.

After two satisfactory performances, Luka Jovic could possibly start against Atletico Madrid in the derby if Karim Benzema does not recover in time. Meanwhile, there have been rumours linking the 23-year-old with a possible loan exit in the winter. According to Mario Cortegana, Real Madrid are contemplating a winter loan for Luka Jovic but have not yet discussed anything with the player.

Sending Jovic out on another winter loan would be an unwise decision. The first factor is Luka Jovic is the perfect alternative to Karim Benzema. Whilst Jovic’s style of play is different to that of Benzema’s, the Serbian has been working hard on improving his off-the-ball movement by dropping deep or drifting wide.

In terms of quality, the 23-year-old is a superior alternative to Mariano Diaz and should be kept until the end of the season as Benzema’s alternative. The French forward is 33-years-old and has been overworked for the past three seasons or so. The possibility of injuries are high especially because Carlo Ancelotti does not rotate the squad much.

In the worst circumstance, if Benzema picks up another injury or suffers a relapse and is expected to be out for an extended period, Luka Jovic’s presence in the squad would be a sigh of relief. However, if Jovic is loaned out and Mariano Diaz is the only option – it would certainly not be a pretty situation for Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid.

Having said that, I strongly believe that loaning Luka Jovic out would do no good for the player or the club. The Serbian is determined to improve his situation at the club and has not yet thrown in the towel on his future at Real Madrid. These two performances against Sociedad and Inter can be considered as foundation stones for Luka Jovic to build upon and earn more minutes throughout the remaining course of the season.