Real Madrid Reportedly to Hire Victor Fernandez as Rafa Benitez 'Back-Up'

Real Madrid are set to appoint Victor Fernandez as part of a major shake-up of the club’s youth development setup and as “back-up” in case new manager Rafael Benitez is not up to scratch.

As noted by Tomas Roncero of AS, the 54-year-old is poised to sign a three-year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he will be tasked with adding some structure at Valdebebas. Roncero claims in the piece that the academy is currently "suffering from organisational chaos."

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He outlined in the piece what is likely to be expected of Fernandez, who is branded as "one of the most experienced Spanish coaches":

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The club’s plan is for the Zaragoza-born 54-year-old to take full control at the club’s training base and bring a uniform structure to all of Madrid’s youth teams, ensuring they follow the same methods of conduct and performance throughout.

The club also wants to streamline its scouting network, which currently sees almost more players at Valdebebas from outside of Madrid than from within the capital.

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But it’s also claimed in the piece that Real may have grander plans for the former Deportivo la Coruna chief. Benitez seemed like a risky appointment on behalf of the Los Blancos hierarchy and, according to Roncero, Fernandez is viewed as a possible emergency option should the former Liverpool and Napoli boss get the chop.

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At this point, that potential appointment is dependant on a variety of factors. But it’s encouraging to see Real placing a renewed onus on youth development.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell recently discussed a couple of players that have come through the Real ranks that’ll be keen on making an impression next season:

The club will be hoping to do more to draft in players from the local catchment area too. As noted by Roncero, more players in the club’s academy are currently from outside Madrid than from the city. When you look at the manner in which Barcelona source and nurture their local talent, it’s clear Los Blancos need to do more in that sense.

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With current academy director Ramon Martinez on leave with health problems, Fernandez, who has been in the dugout for a whopping 544 Spanish league matches, seems like an ideal candidate to whip Valdebebas into shape.

But it’s going to be a tough job and one that’ll need to be plotted with longevity in mind. So even if Benitez doesn’t work out, Madrid must resist the urge to hand the job to Fernandez if they have serious intentions of putting a long-term plan in place to enrich their youth setup.