Some Real Madrid fans are still not over the Club World Cup embarrassment. Well, it was only an embarrassment in the sense that they lost 4-0 to PSG in the semi-finals.
Apart from that, it was a good tournament with a lot of positives.
Real Madrid played well, most of these players did anyway, and some, like Gonzalo Garcia, went on to play so well that fans wanted them to start more and more games for the first team.
One of the names not mentioned there was of Raul Asencio, who, despite having a great season prior to the tournament, was probably one of the disappointing Real Madrid players on the pitch.
Now, he has a kit number with the first team. He will officially wear Lucas Vazquez's number 17 from next season.
Raul Asencio is still a good addition to Real Madrid, but he needs to improve
Let me touch on Asencio's Club World Cup performances once again: He had some good challenges, don't get me wrong, but I only call him a disappointment because I knew how much I was expecting from him after the kind of league and UCL campaign he had.
He undoubtedly deserved to stay at the club, because he had earned the right to. Asencio was playing superbly before the minor blip at the Club World Cup, and he was going to get this spot in the squad no matter what.
Asencio might not be the starter everyone thought he would be after this tournament, but he could still be a crucial squad player this upcoming season, when Xabi Alonso will undoubtedly use many centre-back pairings trying to find one that fits the best.
Dean Huijsen is going to be a starter for sure - and that may be why Asencio won't be - it is just about who goes next to him.
Asencio will need to improve on his form as soon as the new season starts, as Alonso does not seem like the kind of manager that would let that slide.