Asensio, below zero – AS.com

This Friday, Rodrygo (21 years old) suffered an overload in his right thigh in training that separated him from the league debut against Almería. The absence of the Brazilian opened a door through which the entry of Marco Asensio ventured (26). The Spaniard, unprecedented in the Super Cup against Eintracht, had, on paper, a golden opportunity to vindicate himself as long as Ancelotti thought it appropriate. However, at the Power Horse Stadium, the man from Reggiolo left his attacking trident intact, more consolidated every day. Valverde repeated to the right of Benzema (34) and Vinicius (22) and, when the tree had to be shaken in the second half, Modric (36), Hazard (31), Alaba (30), Casemiro (30) and Ceballos (26) were chosen. Two official matches and Asensio continues with his minute counter below zero.

significant for a footballer who last year was the team’s third offensive weapon, with his 12 goals in 42 games (2,110 minutes), behind Benzema’s 44 and Vinicius’s 22 and ahead of Rodrygo’s 9. Although the importance of him skidded from the almost indisputable title midway through the course to the loss of prominence in the final stretch. The Champions was the best scale. After starting twice against PSG in the round of 16, he only played 47 more minutes, in the tie against City in the semis. That yes, his header in semifailure ended in the second of the two goals of Rodrygo that worked the miracle. The final in Paris also saw her from the bench and her future was heading into the summer between questions.

And after a preseason with lime and sand (without counting on excessive minutes, he showed his fang against Barça, América and Juve), just two weeks before the closing of the transfer market (September 1 at 11:59 p.m.), there is still no answer. On Saturday, before facing Almería, Ancelotti found himself with a question that, after overcoming Rubi’s men (1-2) without the participation of the ’11’, was repeated. What happens with Asensio and his future? The answer, similar, although with a couple of nuances that emphasize this uncertainty that accompanies the Balearic at the moment: “As I said, Asensio is a Real Madrid player and until he is, I consider him a Madrid player and to play. You have to take into account what he did last year, he has scored a lot of goals. He is an important player, as long as he is a Madrid player. We have to wait for day 31 and see what happens”.

Carletto He already left the ball on the player’s roof. “They don’t bother me, but the competition has increased. They have been good”, he replied in the post-Clásico mixed zone in Las Vegas, referring to Asensio and Ceballos, who were the best against Barça. Would the best thing be an exit?, they insisted. “ask them”, fought the Italian coach. Publicly he has always shown a positive tone towards the Mallorcan, but his context has completely changed and he is in quicksand right now. While Rodrygo and Valverde, much more an attacker than a midfielder, have grown based on decisive goals and lungs in recent months.

Conditioning

Marco ends contract in 2023 and opted for a change of agent for this decisive summer. From Horacio Gaggioli, the lifelong one, to Gestifute, the representation agency commanded by Jorge Mendes. Many readings were made, but the reality is that the club has not presented a renewal offer nor has a firm proposal arrived that satisfies all parties. From AS we inform that Asensio had made the decision in July to continue, saw possible to throw the door of ownership. A month later, it seems that the gap is getting narrower. The World Cup in Qatar, with which our protagonist dreams after returning to La Roja last June after years of absence (“It is a goal that I have in mind”, he confessed in this newspaper), is another conditioning factor to take into account in the equation. Without forgetting that the white team would prefer to avoid his loss at zero cost in a few months… Time, as always, will be judge, jury and we will see if it will also be the executioner of the winger’s stage at Real Madrid. “We have to wait and see what happens.”