"He has something special" - Endrick impresses Ancelotti on Real debut

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday that Brazilian Endrick has "something special" and that it is rare to see players of that level at his age, after starting him in the 1-0 friendly loss to Milan at Soldier Field in Chicago.

"It's difficult to have conclusions (about his performance), but what I see is that he has something special. He is very quick, powerful in tight space," Ancelotti said of Endrick at the post-match press conference in Chicago. ‘It's quite rare to see players with these characteristics,’ he added.

Endrick started for Madrid and played 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time. "We competed, we fought, we did good things, with a lot of young players. The important thing was to compete and we did that. There are things to improve, but they are quite normal things," he said.

One of Ancelotti's youngsters, Cesar Palacios, had to withdraw with a worrying knee injury. "Palacios has had a knee problem, it doesn't look good. We have to evaluate him, it's a shame for a young player to get injured in the first game of pre-season," he said.

Another home-grown player, Joan Martinez, had his first minutes at the age of 16: "He has potential, he is very young, but he has potential. He has everything a centre-back needs". 

It was clear in Chicago that Madrid need time to get into a rhythm and the coach made no secret of the fact that his priority on this tour is for all his players to adapt and reach a good level of fitness after their holidays.

"Tomorrow - on Thursday - Vinicius, Militao and today - on Wednesday - Rodrygo are back. We will see if they can play part of the game," said Ancelotti, referring to 'El Clasico' against Barcelona.

 

August 1, 2024