One of the most exciting genres of players in football is the wonderkid youngster. Clubs always relish having an up-and-coming youngster for one of two reasons. One is that they could eventually sell the player, and the other is that they want to develop the player to be the next star of the team.
One knock that many have on Real Madrid when it comes to their history of youngsters at the club. When looking back, the club doesn't have a great history of developing youngsters, whether they come from the academy or are brought in at a young age from elsewhere.
One of the most highly touted youngsters to arrive at Real Madrid in recent memory is Endrick. The Brazilian arrived at Real Madrid from Palmeiras last summer at the age of only 18 years old, and many within the club, as well as fans, had high expectations for the player dubbed "The next Pele".
However, Endrick's time at Real Madrid has been less than ideal from the perspective of the club, the fans, and the player. His struggles in the Spanish capital have been a culmination of a number of reasons, reasons many hope get sorted out soon.
The simple reason why Endrick is struggling for Real Madrid
The two main reasons are the sheer depth of attack in the squad and injuries. Arriving in the same transfer window as Kylian Mbappé, Endrick was always going to struggle for minutes in an attack that had just added Mbappé, and already had the likes of Vinícius Jr, Rodrygo, Brahim Díaz, and Arda Güler.
Under Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilian only played a handful of games, mostly coming off the bench in injury time when the game was all but over. He did show some bright moments in the few matches he played, scoring in his debut in all of La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey. However, despite those impressive feet, he was never going to be a regular starter.
The other, arguably bigger reason for his struggles at Real Madrid is injuries. The 19-year-old has been out injured since May and has returned to fitness. However, in that time, he was overtaken in the pecking order by Castilla striker Gonzalo Garcia, and his playing time seems to be dwindling more and more as each game passes.
Given he's only 19 years old and has his whole career still ahead of him, it would be in the best interest of both the player and the club to look for a loan move to get Endrick regular game time to help his development. Several clubs have shown interest in the youngster, with Newcastle United being the most recent, but whether or not he'll leave the club in January remains to be seen.