At just 16 years old (barely), Martin Odegaard could be at Real Madrid for a long time. It’s clear Los Blancos made a move for the future.
But not exactly for now.
It’s completely understandable that there’s gobs of coverage when Real Madrid pays for a senior player of just 16 years old. It’s also completely understandable that they want to ease him into things over a long period of time rather than toss him directly into the fire. Plenty of kids have been ruined across all sports with that kind of “go get em” treatment.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti wants to calm the masses from the hype surrounding the kid, saying that...well...he’s just a kid.
“It’s difficult to think that Odegaard could play (in the first team) straight away,” Ancelotti said during his prematch press conference ahead of this weekend’s game with Cordoba. “He’s very young, we have to be patient with him. We’re all convinced he’ll play and will be an important player for Real Madrid. Looking ahead I really think that with his qualities, his intelligence, he will be a true Real Madrid player...Odegaard represents the future of this team.”
According to Ancelotti, Odegaard will begin training with the first team, but will play with the reserve team Real Madrid Casilla, which is coached by Zinedine Zidane.
“We’re really keen for him to arrive, we’re convinced that he will have a big future,” Ancelotti said. “We’re happy, but we have to remain calm concerning him.”
According to reports, Real Madrid battled with Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and other top teams for Odegaard’s transfer.
