Marco Asensio appeared to be the forward that Carlo Ancelotti trusted most to partner Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior up front, but it appears Real Madrid are better off without him now.
Generally selected as the right side of an attacking three, Asensio has made 35 appearances across than season and has even hit double figures in terms of goals, for the first since 2018.
Yet in recent weeks it has become clear that Ancelotti prefers other options. In Real Madrid’s comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, Asensio was hooked after 57 minutes – at which point the comeback began. His replacement Rodrygo Goes was a key part of it.
Rodrygo was also trusted ahead of Asensio against Chelsea, coming on to score the equalising goal on aggregate. From the start, it appears that Fede Valverde is ahead of Asensio in the pecking order too, as Ancelotti seeks more physicality in midfield.
Against PSG, there was heavy criticism towards the Mallorqui winger, who not only started El Clasico on the bench but didn’t start a game for the whole month of March.
As Mundo Deportivo note, he started against Celta Vigo on the 2nd of April but only saw 7 minutes against Getafe last weekend. His contract is also expiring in 2023 and it could be that a move is on the cards if Asensio can’t achieve the minutes he desires in Madrid.
