Zinedine Zidane Says 'Very Good' Luka Jovic Is the 'Future' of Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has backed striker Luka Jovic to come good in the Spanish capital, and he believes the 22-year-old Serbian international talent is the "future" of the club. 

The former Eintracht Frankfurt man is expected to start the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against Valencia on Wednesday, with several of his team-mates not making the trip to Saudi Arabia. Per Goal's Joe Wright, Zidane has faith in the summer signing, despite his early struggles with Los Blancos:

"The feelings are good, despite the absences. There's a very big squad, and the rest are here to respond.

"Jovic is an obvious option. He is the future. He has to be calm. He is learning.

"He's a boy who wants to learn a lot. He's very good. He'll get a lot of goals. We've backed him, and you have to be calm with him."

Jovic is widely expected to lead the line against Valencia due to the absence of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale. It's a huge chance for the youngster:

Jovic joined the club as one of the headline signings of the summer, costing the La Liga giants €70 million. He has yet to make a major impact in the capital, starting just three La Liga matches and once in the UEFA Champions League.

His lone goal for the club came in the 5-0 win over Leganes:

The striker is stuck behind Benzema in the pecking order, and thanks to the veteran's strong form, that seems unlikely to change any time soon.

The 32-year-old has bagged 12 goals and five assists in La Liga so far this season and has four more goals and two assists in the Champions League.

Jovic has flashed his considerable talent with Real, even if he hasn't found the net with regularity. That wasn't the case in Germany last season:

He scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga and added 10 more in the UEFA Europa League, explaining why both Real and Barcelona were hot on his heels in the summer. The Catalans were long believed to be favourites to land him, and Frankfurter Allgemeine (h/t Sport) even reported he agreed to terms with the Blaugrana at one point.

It's far too early to give up on such a talented player, especially considering his lack of consistent minutes early in his Real career. The match against Valencia will be a massive opportunity for Jovic, with Los Che collecting just two clean sheets in their last eight matches across all competitions.

The two teams met last month at the Mestalla, playing out a 1-1 draw. Benzema bagged a last-minute equaliser for Los Blancos.