Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has called for patience from the Galacticos fans as he declared that Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be allowed to take the field in a hurry. Ronaldo is recovering from a knee injury that he suffered during the Euro 2016 final against France. Earlier, Zidane clarified that he had ruled Ronaldo out of the UEFA Super Cup match against Sevilla, and further doubts have surfaced over the possibility of Ronaldo getting fully fit for Real Madrid’s La Liga opener on 21st August.
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After the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the final International Champions Cup friendly, the Real Madrid coach told journalists, "Right now [Ronaldo] still has his injury. Obviously, he wants to be back but we need patience and for him to be calm. He will be back with us soon in Madrid."
Cristiano Ronaldo underwent a surgery on his knee and is recuperating and vacationing in Miami. On asked about the impact of Ronaldo’s absence to the team, Zidane responded with an expected answer that ended in his usual pragmatic tone. Zidane said, "He'll always be Cristiano. You're not going to see another Cristiano. He's been and he is an important player to Real Madrid. He'll stop some day like everybody but right now he's with us and he's good with us."
Full-back Danilo came off the bench to score the only goal of the match against Bayern Munich. A 79th-minute strike ensured that Real Madrid end their pre-season US tour on a happy note at MetLife Stadium, and Zidane added, "Overall I am very happy with what we have done this pre-season. I think what we did on the tour of Canada and what we’ve done here (in the U.S.) has been positive for us."
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The Real Madrid coach also addressed the speculation surrounding James Rodrigues’ future at the club, after having granted the Colombian his first start of the pre-season. It seems Zidane has redressed the player’s grievances and appears optimistic on building a team that would include the Colombian in his plans.
Zidane continued, "I'm happy with his performance, happy to have him here with the team playing his first 45 minutes along with players like Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos, getting rhythm. [James] is here with us and, as our team will keep working, we will look to get better as a team."
