Real Madrid might have left it late against Osasuna but ultimately, they were able to get the job done. Late goals from Federico Valverde and Marco Asensio were enough to seal all three points for Los Blancos and keep the La Liga title race alive. It had looked like Vinicius Junior had gotten himself a goal as well but it was ruled out by VAR.
One player who made a difference on the day was Alvaro, who came off the bench late in the game to make his La Liga debut for Real Madrid. He has played once in the senior level in the past, in the Copa del Rey game vs Cacereno.
The 18-year-old did not look out of place after coming on at all. On the other contrary, he made a case for getting more regular playing time moving forward, after what was an impactful display off the bench.
It had looked like he had grabbed himself an assist for Vinicius’ goal, before it was ruled out. But then, he went on to set up Asensio’s strike.
Real Madrid boss ready to talk with Raul about youngster
Carlo Ancelotti seems to have been impressed with what he saw from Alvaro and he might have a bigger role in the team moving forward. As reported by Marca, the Real Madrid manager said:
"“He has a lot of quality, he goes very well in the lead… It can help us. Entering Real Madrid is not easy. He was very focused and made a difference in 10 minutes with two assists. He’s going to help us in what’s left. Whether he’s going to stay in the first team is something we have to evaluate. We’ll talk about it with Raul.”"
One complaint that Real Madrid fans have had in recent times is that the club have not done a good job when it comes to bringing through their youth stars, some of whom are very highly rated.
It remains to be seen if that changes with Alvaro. One must point out the lack of depth at striker right now and the fitness issues of Karim Benzema. Thus, there might be a role there for the youngster, if given the chance.