Can Enzo Zidane Really Make the Grade at Real Madrid?

Real Madrid and the name of Zidane have gone hand in hand for some time, with Zinedine being a creative master of midfield during his playing days and, via a swift climb up the coaching ladder from first-team assistant to Castilla head coach, now being in sole charge of the senior side as manager.

That's not all though, with Zidane's four sons all involved on the playing side at their various levels: the two youngest, Elyaz and Theo, in the junior ranks, goalkeeper Luca Fernandez, who has featured for the under-19s in the UEFA Youth League and is in the Castilla squad and midfielder Enzo Fernandez, captain of Castilla and a regular on the teamsheet.

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Each has a long way to go to attain anywhere near original-Zidane-worthy levels of merit, of course, but Enzo has shown promise over a number of seasons and has been close to breaching Madrid's first-team scene over the last year. That final step, at any club and for any young player, is always the hardest, though. So can Enzo make it?

Status

First up, it's probably worthwhile noting that Fernandez is his mother's surname. Should he make it, there's little doubt he'll be spoken about by his other surname regardless, which is perhaps a burden for the 21-year-old.

Though still a regular on matchdays with Castilla, Enzo does train with the first team, spent pre-season with them and featured for the first time over the summer, on tour against Paris Saint-Germain. He has travelled with the seniors to matches, though he has never been listed in a matchday squad.

At Castilla, while often wearing the captain's armband for the team, Enzo has been alternating between the sides of the attacking-midfield line—he on the left with Martin Odegaard on the right is the default starting role, but there has been rotation. But he's been playing far more on the interior rather than as a winger. There is scope for drifting centrally and also for pushing higher upfield, linking with the striker.

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In Castilla's last match prior to the international break, one such in-from-out run led to Enzo assisting the decisive second goal in a 2-0 win over Sestao River Club, with team-mate Odegaard making a mirror-image run to finish off and score.

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Naturally, the problems for Enzo to break through at first-team level can be easily spotted.

His position is filled by Cristiano Ronaldo, and far more experienced, better, higher-value players have failed to win considerable game time when up against the Portuguese forward. Add in Gareth Bale, Lucas Vazquez, Isco and the rising Marco Asensio—all have played on the left side of the attack this season for the Real Madrid first team—and it's not exactly as though Enzo has a clear path.

Age Barrier

At 21 years of age, many supporters of different clubs would be imagining that a promising youngster was missing the boat, that he should have made an impact on the first-team scene by now if an eventual breakthrough was in the offing. But it's not necessarily the case here, even without a single senior appearance so far.

It is not prohibitive to not feature at a young age at Real Madrid given Castilla play in their own competitive league and have their own obligations and objectives for the season—although there's also no denying that playing in Segunda Division B, the third tier in Spain, is not good enough to justify the immediate step up to La Liga. For the players' own benefits, Castilla need to bump themselves back into La Liga 2. At present, they sit sixth, four points off top spot.

In general, Real Madrid's younger players don't immediately make it as pros; there is a process to follow, a well-trodden path that's certainly longer than many might wish for. But it's ultimately a proven route to a better chance of becoming a Real Madrid senior.

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That is, of course, to head elsewhere to play, be it on a series of loans or else a permanent deal, before returning—often in the early-to-mid 20s—as a more rounded player who can compete for a place and contribute to the squad.

Real Madrid do seem to value their players—just only after they have proved their worth elsewhere first.

In the senior squad, Lucas (loan and return) and Alvaro Morata (sale and buyback) are the two most prominent examples, but it's not so long ago that Dani Carvajal was re-signed from Bayer Leverkusen and even Alvaro Arbeloa took the delayed route from Castilla hopeful to Bernabeu regular, returning at age 26.

By contrast to those players, Enzo has plenty of time to make an impression, though the chances of linking up in a father-son, manager-player capacity over that much of an extended period are remote.

Future

Enzo is likely to remain at Castilla this season and try to help them achieve promotion, but a loan is imperative. While the likes of Diego and Marcos Llorente, Raul de Tomas and Jesus Vallejo are out gaining senior experience elsewhere this term, Enzo is still in the lower reaches of the Spanish leagues. His ability cannot fully be appreciated or seen as to its limitations until he faces the same regular tests.

Even in the Copa del Rey, Enzo is not involved with the squad despite midfield injuries of late. Only a departure from Castilla will give him the top-flight experience he needs.

In truth, a sale and eventual buyback is the most likely course for Enzo to become anything like a regular at Madrid. While it's fine to acknowledge that even explosive attackers, goalscorers or clearly impressive full-backs have to wait their turn to impress at the top end of Real Madrid's playing hierarchy, Enzo has not been anywhere near that kind of standout at his current level.

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As an offensive player, he'd also be expected to contribute heavily toward goalscoring, and that's not precisely in his remit; into November, he has netted just three goals for Castilla this season, and they have all come from the penalty spot. It will be difficult to suggest he should be involved in the seniors when even the likes of Asensio, breaking through this year, and Mariano, a bit-part player at best, have immediately shown they can hit the net.

Nothing is decided, and time is still on Enzo's side if he is willing to take the established long route to the top at Real Madrid. But fans of Los Blancos shouldn't expect to see him making too many appearances under his father anytime soon.