5 Spanish players who may play key roles under Julen Lopetegui at Real Madrid

#2 Marco Asensio

The boy wonder looks set to play a key role next season

It is almost certain that were it not for his crazy release clause, a lot of Europe’s elite teams would have come to make enquiries about the services of one of the continent’s top young talents.

The 21-year-old Mallorcan was expected to play a big role for Los Merengues following his breakout season in 2016-17. His performances off the bench wowed the world and made the decision to send James Rodriguez to Bayern Munich easier.

Everyone was expecting him to push on in the 2017/2018 and become an integral member of the team. However, his super-sub role continued into the season as, despite the year’s subpar campaign in La Liga, Asensio was not fully trusted to start games and deliver.

He made 52 appearances for the team last season, more than half of which came as a substitute. His dribbling, intelligence, eye for a pass and unpredictable nature is something that will appeal to Lopetegui given his love for flair players.

Given the uncertainty over the future of Gareth Bale, Asensio could even find himself in the First XI depending on the setup Lopetegui would deploy.