Real Madrid has somewhat of a checkered past when it comes to youngsters at the club. Whether they come up through the club's academy system or arrive from elsewhere, youngsters often struggle at the club and face an uphill fight to break into the first team squad.
As a result, they tend to play their football away from Real Madrid, getting sent out on loan or even sold to other clubs, to develop as a player before returning to Los Blancos when the time is right. This has worked with current players in the squad, with the likes of Brahim Diaz and Alvaro Carreras, who have both spent time away from Real Madrid and returned to the club as completely new players.
Another player who has followed this formula is midfielder Nico Paz. The 21-year-old has been at Como since last season and has been thriving, becoming one of the best players in Serie A, and seems on course to return to Real Madrid next summer.
Spending time away from Real Madrid to develop as a player isn't some kind of demotion; it's the club doing what is best for the young player's career, and with one Real Madrid player in particular, he must come to the realization that if he wants to revive his career, he needs to leave on loan in January.
Real Madrid's international break forces Endrick to confront an obvious truth
We are, of course, talking about Endrick. The 18-year-old arrived last summer from Palmeiras with high expectations and has endured an up-and-down time at Real Madrid. While he saw a decent amount of minutes last season, scoring in all of his La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League debuts, he struggled with injuries towards the end of last season, which impacted his start to this season.
With the transition from Carlo Ancelotti to Xabi Alonso, many wondered where the Brazilian fit into Alonso's plans, and so far, it seems like he doesn't. Endrick has featured only once this season, and it was in the dying minutes of Real's 4-0 win over Valencia when the game was all but over.
At only 19 years old, Endrick still has his whole career ahead of him, and with big ambitions to get into the Brazil squad for the World Cup next summer, this international break gives Endrick the time to confront an obvious truth: he has to leave Real Madrid for regular minutes.
Endrick is a player with immense talent; we've seen small glimpses of it at Real Madrid, so he should have no trouble finding a club where he'll get regular minutes as a starter. Lyon has been the most heavily linked club, but clubs from the Premier League have also shown interest in the Brazilian. A January loan move could be the most important decision he makes in his young career, and it would be best for both the player and the club.