In times of sports crisis or the need to tighten the belt to the last hole, the quarry is the most helpful resource. Madrid has fulfilled its intention not to go to the market or to fill the gaps left by Jovic and Odegaard, and Zidane has no choice but to forcefully rejuvenate his Plan B. Will have to go to the spring that is Factory white. There is no other. The Marseillais smelled it in summer, when he awarded ten of the Juvenil de Oro who won the Youth League with Raúl raising them to exercise with the elders. He was captivated by several (Arribas, Blanco and Gutiérrez) and it was the beginning of more calls.
This course, Zidane has made their debut for three homegrown players (Arribas, Marvin and Chust) and left six more one step away from doing so, when he summoned Hugo Duro, Blanco, Sergio Santos, Aranda and goalkeepers Lucas Cañizares and Luis López. He also went up to gleaming juveniles like the Japanese Pee Nikai and David Mellado. With footballers like Isco and Mariano ostracized, he is obliged to canteranizar the team …
Goals: Hugo Duro
Madrid make goals in fits and starts … while watching Jovic plugged in again in Frankfurt. The Getafense Hugo Duro (21 years old) is a viable alternative. He is the top scorer for Castilla, with five goals in eight games, knows the First and the Europa League with Getafe de Bordalás and Zidane has him in esteem. In fact, he was included in the A List of the Champions League in the summer and now he is the third de facto nine of the team, after Benzema and Mariano. Duro was summoned to San Siro and took the books (he is studying to become a mechanical engineer) but did not make his debut. If Hugo Duro is the most solid option to expand the goal arsenal, the risky one is Israel Salazar Room, the killer of Juvenil A. The Extremaduran (17 years old) flogs his rivals in the Honor Division. Last day he endorsed a hat-trick perfect to Rayo Majadahonda. He is the most prolific scorer in the entire white quarry (he is on his way to his 200th goal as a Madrid player) along with Iker López (Cadet A). In a function closer to the band is the youth Oscar Aranda (18), winger with a goal, who was summoned to the La Cerámica match in November.
'Pipi' and Peter, overflow
They are two of the most unbalanced footballers, each in his own style, in all of La Fábrica. Before Kubo, in Madrid Japanese was spoken thanks to Takuhiro Pee Nakai (17 years). A very creative ten that Zizou already knows in person. “Pipi is technically exquisite, dance on top of the ball …”. This is how the former youth technician Dani Poyatos defined him recently in AS. The Japanese man breaks on the inside, a la Odegaard, while Peter Federico (18 years old) does it on the outside. A gazelle that jumps between Castilla and Juvenil A and does so on the right wing, specialized in assisting. An alternative to what Rodrygo and Vinicius offer. Madrid know they have a jewel and last year they shielded them for four more seasons.
White, ready
The youth squad is ready to jump on stage if Kroos is missing. The 20-year-old from Cordoba manages the midfield at will, he is the epicenter of the Castilla game and Raúl has enormous faith in him. Zidane has also earned it. The Frenchman has summoned him for the last three games (Alcoyano, Alavés and Levante) and his official debut seems only a matter of time.
Arribas, to the front.
Ahead of Blanco, in Castilla, Sergio Arribas (19 years old) acts. He made his debut on the first day of the League together with Marvin (he played 20 '), also in the Champions League against Mönchengladbach and last weekend against Levante he jumped onto the pitch … leaving Isco on the bench. In total he has played 24 minutes. A ten with a goal (16 last year in Juvenile A), which uses both legs and is millimetric on the set piece. He has the complete pack and the Madrid coach from Marseille likes it.
David González flies in the Youth
This 18-year-old from Burgos has taken over, at once, the new Juvenil A de Romero. Despite being a midfielder with an attacking profile, he has such an arrival that he has scored five goals this year and all of them were key for his team to win. Ideal, if Zidane so wanted, to play Modric. Last year he was elected MVP of the Indonesia U-20 International Tournament, a World Cup of the category.
Gutiérrez, the 'three' total
The Madrid left-hander (19 years old) was the first of this new batch that Zidane put under his wing. He made his debut in a friendly against Fenerbahçe in 2019 and He was the only one of the Juvenile who came up full time with the first team since post-confinement. He was called up against Espanyol. Lateral and to the extreme with Raúl, he was the top scorer with Latasa in the last Youth League. The most vertical, a la Marcelo, in Valdebebas.
Santos, a powerful 'two'
When Zidane has needed to prop up the right side, due to the absences of Carvajal, Odriozola, Nacho or Lucas, has always looked at the oxygenated hair of Sergio Santos (19). The two Juvenil de Oro and now Castilla. Zizou called him up in the Champions League (Inter and Mönchengladbach) and also in the League (Huesca and Valencia). Another on pole to get his first chance.
Chust and Pablo Ramón, central duo
The one who has already had it has been the Valencian Víctor Chust (20 years old), who played the agonizing 120 minutes in the Cup in Alcoy. He has been called up six more times. It is the other pillar of the defense center of Castilla next to the Majorcan Pablo Ramón, a defender who cost the white club € 1M and who made his debut with Mallorca when he was only 17 years old. He has just returned from a serious injury.
Luis López, on hold
Although Courtois, Lunin and Altube cover the goal well, Zidane put this Murcian (19 years old) on the plane to go to the last Camp Nou Classic as the third goalkeeper. In Valdebebas and the inferiors of the National Team he sees an immense future …