Zinedine Zidane Defends Decision to Start Son Luca Zidane in Huesca Win

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has explained his decision to start his son Luca in Sunday's La Liga match, a narrow 3-2 win over last-placed SD Huesca. 

The former midfield star picked his son over Keylor Navas, who he said deserved a rest after the international break, per the Mirror's Rich Jones:

"I am happy for him. For his debut here, with a victory. But that is Luca, he is the third keeper.

"Thibaut [Courtois] was out, and I wanted to give Keylor a rest after playing with his country. It came out well.

"I was not picking my son, but a player in Real Madrid's squad. I see him as one other player for the team."

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According to the report, Thibaut Courtois was unavailable due to injury, opening the door for the 20-year-old Zidane to make his first start of the season. His father gave him his debut during the previous campaign, but he had dropped down the pecking order once the former France international left the club.

His Bernabeu debut did not go according to plan, as Los Blancos conceded just three minutes into the contest:

Isco and Dani Ceballos turned the deficit into a lead, but after Xabier Etxeita pulled the visitors level again, Real needed some late heroics from Karim Benzema to snatch a win against the minnows.

The young Zidane had some nervy moments even when the ball didn't cross the line:

The decision to turn to the third-choice goalkeeper was scrutinised on social media, and Jonny Sharples couldn't help but crack a joke:

La Liga expert Robbie Dunne noted it made sense to pick Zidane in a winnable contest, however:

Barcelona have a double-digit lead over Los Blancos in the title race, and Real have a massive advantage over fourth-placed Getafe. Last season's European champions aren't playing for silverware in any competition at the moment, and talent development with an eye on next year is the priority at this point.

Luca Zidane isn't seen as a key piece for the club moving forward, as big things are expected from prospect Andriy Lunin and Los Blancos invested in Courtois last summer.

Rumours linking the Spanish giants with David De Gea are never far away, either, and the return of Zidane as manager has led to a new round of speculation, per  John Richardson of the Sunday Mirror.

Luca Zidane's contract runs out in the summer, and there's interest in his services from Switzerland, France and Italy, according to Sport.