Jese Needs to Leave Real Madrid This Summer but Could Yet Have a Future in White

Real Madrid celebrated becoming champions of Europe just a month ago, but plans are already under way to strengthen the side further. One of the additions of the close season is Alvaro Morata, the former Real forward brought back to the club after a successful spell at Juventus, increasing options and competition for manager Zinedine Zidane's front line in 2016-17.

While there's still a possibility Morata could be sold on for a quick profit, it seems probable that Karim Benzema will have at least one new face to compete for minutes with once the season starts—and that means Spanish forward Jese Rodriguez is going to find game time even more difficult to come by.

The 22-year-old was looked upon as one of the most promising players to come through Real's academy system, but a knee injury kept him out for a year just as he was looking to win regular game time in 2013-14, also missing the FIFA World Cup that summer—and he had an outside chance of making the Spain squad for that tournament.

Things haven't gone to plan since, and Jese is now facing the prospect of having to move on from the Santiago Bernabeu—and it's something he should do without delay, this summer, in the hope of eventually making it as far as he initially looked capable of.

Impact role

After scoring 22 goals in La Segunda for Castilla in '12-13, Jese earned game time the following campaign under Carlo Ancelotti as a late sub in matches, often from the wings, where his pace and individual skill on the ball saw him exploit tired defences.

That was at 20 years old, though, and fast-forward to the final months of last term, his role hadn't changed in the slightest, close to three years later.

Jese is probably most impactful when playing from the left, cutting in on his right foot and dribbling at speed toward the penalty box, but his knack of reaching the byline from the opposite flank means he's an option on either side, without really nailing down a strongest role. That was shown April of last year more than ever; with Benzema suffering from a series of injuries, Jese was one of those given a chance to shine at centre-forward.

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His movement and pace, and eye for goal, should make him an ideal front man—but he struggles when asked to pick up possession with his back to goal, link with players running off him and then get into the box to provide end product. He was one of Real's best players in the 4-0 win over Eibar but only started two of Real's last 13 Liga games, despite heavy rotation by Zidane to keep first-choice names fresh for Europe.

Jese's role was set: he was an impact sub, nothing more, and his time on the pitch was limited. It doesn't look likely to change at Real in '16-17.

Frustration and ability

There is annoyance in Jese, which is visible on his face in matches. It cannot be confirmed whether that's annoyance at his situation, only making fleeting appearances on a week-to-week basis, or frustration at his own ongoing inability to hit the heights he hoped to reach. Either way, there's clearly plenty troubling him, and part of it has to be no clear path to first-team football, with the BBC attack—Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo—an immovable force save for injury.

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Last term was, if anything, an opportunity for Jese to cement his status as first backup, at least, with Lucas Vazquez and Denis Cheryshev providing similar traits and roles—but he very much lost out there.

Lucas found favour with both Rafa Benitez and Zidane, and the fanbase, before winning a Spain call-up for Euro 2016.

Jese was left as the sub even when Gareth Bale struggled with injury or a rare switch to 4-4-2 ensued. Indeed, over the course of the campaign, Jese played the least minutes in Real Madrid's squad other than the true backups: second-choice goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, veteran full-back Alvaro Arbeloa and the succession of younger talents who were briefly given a chance.

Fourth-choice centre-back Nacho and the often-ignored Mateo Kovacic both played more than Jese, while the more senior star names who spent much of the season out of favour—James Rodriguez, Isco, Raphael Varane—played far more, more than double Jese's game time, in fact, for the latter two.

Morata, Casemiro

The current Real squad is brutally tough to find a place in, just as it should be for one of the world's biggest and best, with aims of regular trophy wins.

Right now it's beyond the scope of Jese to battle through and find a role in, but that doesn't mean it has to be the case forever. Clearly the club values him as a homegrown talent, and it is in another homegrown talent he should take inspiration from: the now-returned Morata.

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The striker, along with Lucas and Casemiro, departed the Bernabeu to seek greater playing time, experience of another squad and room to express himself and grow. There's no doubt that Morata has done exactly that, becoming Spain's No. 1 striker, winning Serie A and reaching a Champions League final himself, and all by age 23—the same as Jese.

Lucas is 24; Casemiro 23. It's not an absolute must that young players establish themselves in their early 20s, and growth after this period can still occur.

Future?

Once talked about as a guaranteed starter for Spain's national team, Jese's career has instead followed the path of former teen prodigy Bojan more than Morata so far, not impacting enough to step up to the international scene despite—especially in the under-20s—tearing teams apart and looking ready to move on to greater things.

A move away from Madrid presents a restart, a kick-start, a chance to flourish with regular game time elsewhere.

Marca have reported more than once on his availability this summer but most recently, Santiago Siguero suggested he would be allowed either a loan move—as Lucas' was to Getafe two years ago—or a permanent sale with a buyback clause, just like Morata's.

It further indicates Real believe Jese can still step up his game, improve to close to the levels initially hoped of him and impact on the team in the future. Jese has talent, has pace and has no room to show it at Real Madrid—but if he does so elsewhere for a season or two, and they'll be quick to offer him a place in the squad further down the road.

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