Marco Asensio closes this Sunday one of his most special weeks. In just five days he has had to face two teams that mean a lot to him. Mallorca was the club in which he was formed, which gave him the opportunity to reach the professional world and stand out to awaken the interest of Real Madrid. Last Wednesday he played 19 minutes that meant a lot, because it was the first time he faced the home team.
This time it is his turn to play against Espanyol, the first team that gave him the opportunity to play in the First Division (as on loan from Madrid in the 2015-16 season). There he grew up as a footballer, showed that he was prepared to perform at the highest level (four goals and 15 assists in 37 games) and earned Zidane’s confidence, that it was clear from the beginning that he wanted to make room for him in the white squad.
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The game against the parakeets can be special twice, since Asensio could be a starter for the first time since he reappeared after the serious knee injury. At the moment Zidane has been very careful with him (16 ‘against Valencia, 12’ against Real Sociedad and 19 ‘against Mallorca). There is no hurry, although he is getting better physically and the Frenchman sees him ready to start. If not against Espanyol, he will do so in one of the remaining games until the end of the LaLiga. The idea is for him to reach 100% in the momentous match against City, where Zizou knows that the Balearic Islands can be key.
Asensio’s feelings so far have been excellent. He fulfilled what he always proposed: to return 100%. He has taken care of his recovery in detail so that he does not take false steps and feel with total confidence when he steps on a pitch again. This was demonstrated against Valencia, in his reappearance, where he scored on the first ball he touched.
Competition in attack is very high, because in the demarcation of the Balearic there are overbooking of players. However, Marco is in that group of footballers who have taken the lead in these first games. While James and Bale stand out on the negative side for not having taken advantage of their opportunities, Vinicius and Asensio do it on the positive plane by squeezing every minute that Zidane gives them. Now, the French coach sees the next step in his plan to return Asensio to his best level: getting his first ownership…
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