Zinedine Zidane Says Karim Benzema Is 'Used To' Real Madrid Rumours

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has hailed Karim Benzema's recent form and said his fellow Frenchman is "used to" continuing rumours he may be replaced in the summer. 

Benzema, 31, has done his best this season to fill the void left by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo by netting 18 goals in 32 La Liga appearances, already his third-best tally for a campaign since he moved to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009.

He has been particularly impressive since Zidane was reappointed Real manager early last month and has netted each of the club's last five goals, including the equaliser in Monday's 1-1 draw with Leganes.

Per Goal's Patric Ridge, despite Benzema's form, rumours continue to circulate that he may be replaced in the summer, but Zidane is confident that has had little effect on the striker:

"He is playing a very good season, especially in terms of goals. In the end, he is a fantastic player and this year he has changed, which means more goals. He's used to that, to the rumours that players are coming, but for him it does not change anything. He showed his personality and that's it, he's doing well for the team, he's doing a lot of goals. I'm happy."

Real have endured a poor season in 2018-19. They are already out of both the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, and the Liga title is out of reach as Los Blancos are 13 points behind leaders Barcelona:

Ronaldo's absence has been a key reason for Real's dip in form. 

He netted 450 goals in his nine seasons at the club and Real averaged over 2.8 goals per La Liga game in that period:

This season that average is at 1.75.

It is clear Real need more firepower in their attack, and they have been linked with moves for Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Eden Hazard in the summer, per Daniel Matthews of MailOnline.

All three would be fine additions to the current Real squad and could help Zidane's side score more goals.

However, Benzema's position would arguably not be affected by the arrival of Neymar, Mbappe or Hazard, as he could likely work alongside any of them.

Benzema proved when playing with Ronaldo that he is talented, and selfless, enough to be a provider as well as a goalscorer.

He has stepped up and added more goals to his game when needed this term, but he could likely adapt to any attacking arrivals that come in the summer.