Marcelo 'Gets Fat Easily,' Real Madrid 'Have to Be Careful,' Says Bernd Schuster

Real Madrid have been told to be careful with Marcelo as he "gets fat easily," according to former manager Bernd Schuster.

The German worked with Marcelo during his one season in charge of Los Blancos in 2007-08 and spoke about the Brazilian with Onda Cero's El Transistor programme (h/t Marca).

"In every team you have three or four players who have a lot of problems with their weight, and in my time Marcelo was one of them," Schuster said. "He gets fat easily; you have to be careful and keep on top of him, especially when he is injured. They get fat easily, but then losing the weight can be difficult."

Marcelo has been a key player for Real Madrid throughout his career. However, he's fallen out of favour in recent weeks and has not started the team's last two La Liga matches.

Youngster Sergio Reguilon has taken Marcelo's place, and the 22-year-old appears to be first-choice currently.

ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan noted how Marcelo's omissions have become a major talking point:

Marcelo has struggled with injury and poor form this season. His performances have seen him booed by Real Madrid supporters:

Manager Santiago Solari has been asked about Marcelo and offered his view on his current situation at the Santiago Bernabeu, per Perform (h/t AS).

"His love for the club and his commitment to the club and his joy at training are undoubted, and his behaviour is impeccable. All these things must be praised. It always a difficult task to pick the team. ... What happens in private stays in private. But competition within the squad is an essential part of football. Everyone must feel they have an opportunity and can lose their place [if they don't do well]."

Marcelo's lack of game time has prompted speculation over his future at Real Madrid. The 30-year-old wants to be reunited with former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, according to Tuttosport (h/t MailOnline's James Dutton).

The rumours are likely to continue if Marcelo does remain out of favour for the remainder of the season, but there would be no shortage of clubs interested if he were to become available.