Real Madrid’s lack of academy products in the first team has been a talking point this season following the exits of Nacho Fernandez and Nico Paz, who is impressing at Como, while Barcelona lead the league with a number of La Masia talents. However the opening stages of Raul Asencio in the first team have impressed.
Since Asencio came into the side, replacing the injured Eder Militao against Osasuna, Los Blancos are yet to concede. Marca say that he has been taken under Antonio Rudiger’s wing, and the German defender has been ‘tutoring’ the Castilla graduate through recent weeks. He has become his first point of reference and in training, spends plenty of time with him, although during the games he has only given him minor pieces of advice.
Meanwhile Relevo say that with Militao out for the rest of the season, and David Alaba’s fitness, Asencio will remain with the senior side for what remains of this year. His progress is being held up as an example to other academy players, who are finally seeing a path into the first team that they can follow.
Asencio will be fully tested on Wednesday night at Anfield, where he looks set to start against Liverpool in a much more difficult setting. So far he has been mistake free and part of a generally more solid-looking Real Madrid side.