Zidane’s change in nine and a half weeks

Real Madrid announced Zinedine Zidane’s return to the club with 11 games to go until the end of the season, but there has been a noticeable change in the Frenchman’s attitude in the dressing room since his arrival.

The 46-year-old appears less willing to communicate with the players and quieter in general as he may be looking to loosen ties with certain players, which could help him in making important decisions this summer.

Although his arrival was welcomed with a certain optimism, just a couple of players managed to recover their form under Zidane, while others who were expected to step up didn’t manage to grab the opportunity.

The management of the cases of Vinicius Junior and Marcelo have also raised questions in the last few weeks.

The Brazilian prodigy was eager to recover earlier than expected from his injury and gain more playing time under Zidane ahead of this summer’s Copa America, which saw him ultimately not make Tite’s squad, while his compatriot was re-introduced to the starting line-up, despite Sergio Reguilon being one of the team’s best players this season.

Having been left out from Spain’s squad for the Under-21 European Championship, the Madrid left-back is expected to leave Los Blancos this summer.

The French tactician, meanwhile, expressed his frustration with his players’ performance against Rayo Vallecano, and he referred to Gareth Bale as the team’s past after the 2-0 defeat to Real Betis last Sunday.

He has also let several players know that their future lies away from the Santiago Bernabeu as next season’s Real Madrid will be Zidane’s team entirely.