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When Zinedine Zidane took charge of Real Madrid for a second time, he was promised new signings. The team needed reinforcements and the Los Blancos hierarchy wanted to revamp the squad with some fresh faces after a disappointing season.
Real Madrid endured an abysmal campaign way below their sky-high standards. They were handed humiliating exits from the Champions League and Copa Del Rey. They also finished third in the LaLiga, 19 points behind winners Barcelona.
During the course of the season, Los Blancos fired two coaches before hiring Zidane back. Some of the players failed to earn the trust of the coaches and Los Blancos' management with their performances. It goes without saying that multiple stars will not be in Zidane's plans for the upcoming campaign.
Evidently, they have been the most active club in the summer so far, signing the likes of Eder Militao, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy. If reports are to be believed, Madrid are also planning to bring in a midfielder. But the Spanish giants will have to offload some of their stars to balance the financial books and make way for the new recruits.
On that note, let's take a look at the four Real Madrid players who may not have a future under Zidane.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
#4 Mariano Diaz
After the departure of Real Madrid's greatest goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo, Mariano Diaz was brought in from Lyon. It was expected that Mariano would reduce the goalscoring load of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale but that has not been the case as Los Blancos' number 7 endured a difficult season.
The 25-year-old managed to score just four goals in the recently concluded 2018/19 campaign in 22 appearances across all competitions. It is crystal clear that he was not able to replicate the good form he was known for during his tenure at Lyon. Whenever Mariano got his opportunities, he was ineffective and barely made any impact.
Injuries and Madrid's collective failure in the season added to the misery of the Spanish striker. Benzema remains the main center-forward of the team and the arrival of Luka Jovic will not help Mariano's case. If an offer comes for the player, it is likely that Mariano will leave and even if he stays, his minutes on the pitch will be extremely limited.
#3 Sergio Reguilon
Sergio Reguilon was one of the players who made a positive impact for Real Madrid in the 2018/19 season. The 22-year-old left-back showed signs of promise whenever he got opportunities and the left back made his mark under the guidance of former coach Santiago Solari.
Marcelo remains first choice left-back but the Brazilian went through a rough patch for most part of the season. Reguilon got his chance and stepped up with his performances to earn the trust of Real Madrid's hierarchy.
Unfortunately, Reguilon hardly got any minutes on the pitch after Zidane took charge. Despite performing well, the French manager prefers Marcelo which is evident from his team selection in the last few matches.
Moreover, the arrival of another left-back Ferland Mendy from Lyon will further limit Reguilon's chances of making the starting line-up. It is an open secret that the French fullback was Zidane's choice and Lyon president recently revealed that Zidane played a decisive role to land Mendy.
Considering his age, the Spaniard needs to play regularly and it is likely that he will be loaned out in the summer. However, Marcelo is not getting any younger and if he moves out, Reguilon will be the obvious choice for Mendy's backup.
#2 James Rodriguez
The Golden Boot winner of the 2014 World Cup returned to Spain after his two-year loan spell at Bayern Munich which ended after the 2018/19 season. The Bundesliga giants had a chance to sign him on a permanent deal but chose not to.
James Rodriguez remains one of the players who has failed to live upto the expectations in the recent years. Despite making an impact for Los Blancos in his initial campaigns under Carlo Ancelotti, James was immediately pushed down the pecking order after Zidane's arrival.
Zidane preferred to keep Isco Alarcon as the Los Blancos hierarchy sent James on loan. The 27-year-old failed to make an impact as he suffered from injuries and inconsistency. He scored 7 goals and provided 6 assists in the recently concluded campaign.
It is unlikely that James will be a starter for Madrid in the upcoming campaign. With Napoli interested, James could be one of the players on his way out in the summer.
#1 Gareth Bale
After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, it was expected that Gareth Bale would fill the void. But Bale endured another poor campaign, riddled with inconsistency and injuries. Instead of stepping up and performing well, Bale went through one of the worst phases in his Madrid career.
Bale failed to impress under any of the three coaches in the 2018/19 season with his performances. The 29-year-old bagged 14 goals and 6 assists in all competitions and his campaign was filled with inconsistency and injuries. It goes without saying that his performances were far below the expectations of Madrid's board.
Moreover, Bale's huge wage is a major obstacle for the Spanish giants. They already spent huge money to secure the signing of stars like Hazard and Jovic. If reports are to be believed, Madrid hierarchy wants to get rid of the Welshman at any cost.
