8 Real Madrid Youngsters Who Deserve to See Playing Time in 2016/17

Real Madrid will already be making preparations for the new campaign and deciding which of their younger players will be involved with the senior squad over pre-season, which is an ideal time to assess their abilities and determine whether they will fill a role over the course of 2016/17 season.

For most youngsters, it will be exceptionally difficult to break into the squad, being filled with international talents as it is, and many will head out on loan, particularly with the B team (Castilla) failing to win promotion back to the second tier of Spanish football last term. Others who have already been on loan—Burgui, Omar Mascarell, Raul de Tomas—might believe it's simply time to move on permanently, aware of the difficulty of getting game time at their parent club.

For a lucky few, though, manager Zinedine Zidane will keep them on hand and deservedly hand them playing time across the five competitions that Real will play in during 16/17, and there are three in particular who merit inclusion once competitive action gets underway.

Diego Llorente

First and foremost, Real Madrid should be excited about the progress of Diego Llorente last season.

He was a standout performer for Rayo Vallecano, both at centre-back and in a deep holding midfield role, and his class on the ball as well as his desire and bravery were there for all to see. Stepping into the centre of the park, he was a fine passer from deep, but the emphasis of his play was very much on protecting the defensive line and picking up second balls off set pieces, crosses and dribbles into the area.

His development in that role should impress and intrigue Zidane: Here is a ready-made backup for Casemiro who will not demand huge game time, who also can play in another role and who can be overlooked in favour of Toni Kroos or another senior team-mate if a situation or fixture demands more experience or seniority.

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Of course, Llorente's natural role is that of centre-back.

He has grown in stature and is stronger aerially now than he showed at the beginning of 2015/16, while also being quick to make challenges inside the area. It will need some amount of adaptation to go from a relentless, under-pressure, underprotected defender at Rayo to managing a more concentrated, infrequent defensive performance at Real, especially with the scrutiny on homegrown players, but he looks capable.

More difficult will be getting game time in defence, unless one of Pepe, Nacho or Raphael Varane depart the scene. It's worth noting that Llorente turns 23 in August—before the season starts. He has to make an impact this year or face moving on to really get his career going.

Marco Asensio

Without doubt the most technically gifted of the army of young players Real had out on loan, there are few worries about Marco Asensio's ability to impact La Liga with Real Madrid. A star at Espanyol last season, Asensio's only real trouble is going to be developing a position where he can feature regularly: There is no No. 10 role under Zidane, and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo has the wide-left forward role locked down.

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Asensio's best bet is to try to win regular time on the field in a central midfield role, where he will battle against (in the current squad list; transfers could yet change much) James Rodriguez and Isco for a spot on the bench and the favour of Zidane to be able to change a game.

Versatility goes for all three of those, largely able to play on either side of the forward line, but if Zidane switches to 4-4-2 on occasion, then Asensio might get a chance in the central attacking role he craves, as the second forward.

Fleet of foot when running in possession, with great set-piece delivery and an eye for a clever pass between defenders, Asensio has time on his side at 20 years old but is definitely capable of having an impact this season.

Philipp Lienhart

A more surprising choice, and one who potentially might not see a single minute if he heads out on loan, Philipp Lienhart continues to impress with Castilla and pushed himself to the fringes of the first-team squad last term, making his first appearance on the bench under Rafa Benitez in October and then debuting in December in the infamous Cheryshev-gate match against Cadiz.

Lienhart was the first-choice centre-back for Castilla last term and at just 19 years of age is already an under-21 international with Austria, as well as being included on Real's UEFA Champions League squad list last season.

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The issue he has—as do some of the others—is that Castilla's continued presence in the Segunda B means he won't get an increase in quality to face for the entire season unless he departs on loan possibly to a Segunda side, as Jesus Vallejo did last term. Lienhart's progress at Real will also potentially hinge on the aforementioned Llorente's presence.

Either way, Lienhart has time to progress and make his way at the club, but he should get time in pre-season and beyond—if he's still around.

...and the 5 who could, but won't

Castilla not being promoted is a real issue. It means a batch of quality players who should be able to perform at that level and be on hand for Zidane to call up as and when needed will likely have to move on loan, or permanently.

Martin Odegaard won't hang around in the third tier of Spanish football any longer, considering the range of teams chasing him for first-team action on loan, and he won't be the only one.

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Striker Borja Mayoral made his breakthrough with Real last season, but it's expected that Zidane may add a new striker to his squad list. If that's the case this summer, Mayoral will be another who needs to depart and seek game time elsewhere at a level higher than the Segunda B, with right-back Alvaro Tejero in a similar situation. 

Finally, two who were out on loan last term will face the same situation: Alvaro Medran, who starred at Getafe either side of a three-month injury layoff, and Vallejo, who played at Real Zaragoza. The 22-year-old Medran simply won't find game time in midfield for Real despite an impressive showing in Spain's top flight, while as detailed here, Vallejo is still developing his game and needs another season away.

It's great news for Real Madrid that there are young players battling to be noticed and win some game time at senior level, and while they won't all make it or might not find opportunities coming their way, even two progressing to the senior squad under Zidane gives hope for the next crowd of hopefuls coming through behind them that the pathway to first-team football is definitely open.

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