While Carlo Ancelotti is immensely respected for what he has achieved at Real Madrid, one complaint that some fans have against the Italian is his reluctance to hand opportunities to youngsters from within the club.
Prospects like Sergio Arribas, Rafa Marin, Vinicius Tobias, Mario Martin, Iker Bravo, and Nico Paz, among others, have been performing exceptionally well for Castilla and the youth teams.
However, they have not received many opportunities at the first-team level even when there have been injuries leading to reduced depth within the squad.
But, one player who seems to be generating excitement within the first-team staff is Castilla striker Alvaro Rodriguez.
Indeed, according to AS, the senior team coaching staff has been closely following the progress and development of the 18-year-old striker.
Rodriguez joined Real Madrid from Girona’s youth setup in 2020 and has made steady progress through the ranks. The teenage forward has netted five goals in 15 matches for Castilla under Raul Gonzalez this season.
The Uruguayan striker even made his first-team debut earlier this month, coming on as a substitute against Cacereno in the Copa del Rey.
Currently, Rodriguez is away representing the Uruguayan national team at the South American U-20 Championship in Colombia, and his performances at the tournament have been raising a lot of heads.
After getting an assist in Uruguay U-20’s first game against Chile, the Real Madrid youngster netted a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Bolivia in their latest encounter.
So, it should not come as a surprise that the first-team staff at the club has taken a major interest in Rodriguez’s progression and development.
Given that Ancelotti does not have a lot of cover in the No. 9 position behind Karim Benzema, Rodriguez might get a chance to add to his solitary appearance for the senior team in the second half of the season.
