Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has denied reports of a rift between himself and Serbian striker Luka Jovic.
Jovic, who joined Madrid last summer for over £50 million, was left on the bench despite his side struggling in front of goal in their opening game of the season.
Zinedine Zidane Denies Rift With Luke Jovic
Youngsters Chosen Over Jovic
Zidane instead chose to bring on youngsters Marvin Park and Sergio Arribas in an attempt to break the deadlock.
When asked if Zidane had any problems with Jovic, the Frenchman replied: “No, we have a squad of players, I have to choose and I opted to choose the players I did. I don’t have anything against any player. I just didn’t want to change the formation; Karim [Benzema] was playing well.”
“We didn’t change our formation. It’s tricky because if you throw on another centre-forward, you have to change the formation and I didn’t want to. We needed to bring on players on the wings, and that’s what we did.”
Decision Puts Jovic’s Future in Doubt
Jovic’s omission from the starting line-up and the fact that he didn’t even come off the bench will put his future at Madrid in further doubt.
The 22-year-old scored just two goals in La Liga last season – the striker arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer after scoring 27 goals in all competitions.
Jovic won’t be short of suitors should he decide to move away from the Bernabeu before the transfer window shuts.
A loan move is perhaps the most likely option, with Jovic still having five years left on his contract at Madrid. Newcastle United have been linked with the Serbia international, although that is unlikely now that Callum Wilson has joined the club.
Should Jovic leave, his most probable destinations are Serie A or the Bundesliga. AC Milan are looking for an alternative to veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while the Bundesliga will appeal to Jovic as it was where he enjoyed his breakthrough season with Frankfurt.
The striker still has his best years ahead of him – he’ll be hoping that he’s able to spend them more productively than merely warming the bench.
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