Endrick may be running out of time to impress at Real Madrid as Monday night’s Copa del Rey clash with fourth division side Minera could potentially be a defining moment for the teenager.
Endrick arrived from Palmeiras in the summer to much fanfare – his transfer was secured more than 18 months earlier in 2022, when the player was just 16, similar to how his compatriots Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo had previously joined the club.
But despite scoring in just four minutes on his La Liga debut against Real Valladolid in August and later on his Champions League debut against Stuttgart the following month, it was incredibly difficult for the Brazilian teenager.
Endrick has only started once for Real Madrid and since the end of September he has played a total of just 42 minutes in La Liga without scoring any more goals. He didn’t even manage to come off the bench in the victories against Sevilla and Valencia at Christmas or in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.
AS suggests that Carlo Ancelotti’s refusal to comment on whether Endrick will start against Minera, three divisions below Madrid in the Spanish football pyramid, is a cause for concern and that the fact that he has not been included in the line-up could suggest that his situation is already under review despite his poor performance. If he gets the nod, it could also be costly.
If Endrick, who has fallen out of favor in La Liga and the Champions League, is not given a significant chance in a cup game of this nature, it would be incredibly devastating. He is usually behind Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler in the attacking pecking order, but otherwise the window in which the young player can impress is very limited.
AS adds that it has not been the club’s intention to take on a loan for the remainder of the season, not least given the poor composition of the entire squad.
Endrick scored freely for Palmeiras in the 18 months from the start of 2023 and also made a promising start to his international career with record-breaking goals against England and Spain. But the player was forced to forget a shocking Copa America, including a 90-minute appearance in the quarter-final against Uruguay in which his only successful pass was the kick-off.