Real Madrid need to come up with a plan for their forgotten talent

Real Madrid have taken care of most of their important orders of business this summer, such as signing Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger while extending stars like Vinicius Jr. But in addition to monitoring the market for opportunities on the right wing and at striker, Los Blancos need to contemplate the futures of some of their young talents

Andriy Lunin, Miguel Gutierrez, Reiner Jesus, and Takefusa Kubo are among those discussed frequently, and all four of them have the potential to be first-team stars if their development is handled appropriately.

But there is another promising young talent who is discussed far less often. He has become something of a forgotten man amidst the big signings.

Antonio Blanco was a leader and a vital part of the side that won the UEFA Youth League in 2020. He then burst onto the scene at the end of the 2020/21 season, shining in a few appearances, including absolutely bossing Cadiz on the road in a 2-0 revenge win.

Antonio Blanco seems to have no shot at first-team minutes at Real Madrid

Although Carlo Ancelotti hyped up Blanco as being just as much a part of the future Real Madrid midfield as Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde, Madridistas understood that Blanco would be behind them in the pecking order. But even the fans were surprised with how little the Castilla standout played in 2021/22.

Blanco earned just 31 minutes of playing time in LaLiga last season, making one appearance. When Dani Ceballos shined at the end of the campaign, any chance of Blanco getting experience with LaLiga won was basically shot down.

During the middle of the season, Real Madrid entertained the idea of loaning out Blanco, but that was before Ceballos re-entered the picture. Therefore, Los Blancos could not risk losing depth amidst a fight in the Champions League and LaLiga.

So in the summer 2022 transfer window, Blanco is very much an option to be loaned. He can play as an anchoring midfielder, yet Los Blancos just spent upwards of 80 million euros on Aurelien Tchouameni’s Monaco. That was a good decision, but it means Blanco’s hopes of playing time have gone from “almost zero” to “somehow less than zero”.

Blanco is too valuable to sell, because if Real were to sell him now, they would get nowhere near the value he would garner if he has a big performance on loan. His first-team future is very cloudy. Nothing is impossible, but after the Tchouameni signing, it appears Real Madrid have quietly closed that door for Blanco.

Nevertheless, they need to come up with a plan for Blanco to see how good he is. Almost any club in Europe should be lining up for Blanco and offering him a starting job. I do not kid you when I say he could be a starter for several big clubs in the Premier League, Manchester United being one of them.

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Although Blanco is a forgotten man in the headlines, Madridistas know he is a great talent, one who should be developed. Real Madrid need to have something on tap for him, because he cannot waste another year of his life receiving just 31 minutes at the highest level.