Xabi Alonso denies Endrick's departure and admits changing Rodrygo's position: 'He played very well'

Rodrygo 's good performance in the 5-0 win over South Korea in the last FIFA World Cup seems to have touched Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso , who has shown himself willing to play the striker in new positions, following the path of Carlo Ancelotti , manager of the green and yellow team and his predecessor at the Spanish club.

Having played right wing under Ancelotti for Real Madrid, Rodrygo lost his place under Xabi Alonso and only started two of the club's ten matches this season, competing for space on the left with Vinícius Júnior. In Seoul, the former Santos player scored two goals in a match in which Brazil thrilled with an efficient and fluid attacking quartet, especially with him, Matheus Cunha, and Vinícius Jr. alternating spaces from the center to the left.

Xabi Alonso liked what he saw on the field. "It's a possibility we have for the future," Alonso commented on Rodrygo's positioning in a press conference this Saturday. "I watched the Brazil match (with Rodrygo and Vini Jr.), but we can't forget Militão either. We were able to use Rodrygo in that position, where he played very well against Korea."

The Spanish coach was asked about the constant absence of two promising young players from the team: Endrick, who has not yet been called up since returning from injury five games ago, and Gonzalo García, who started one game and played only a few minutes in the other five. Alonso denied that the pair will be loaned out in January. "At the moment, that's not on my mind. They're both ready to play in a position with a lot of competition," he stated.

Xabi Alonso also echoed criticism of the move of the La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal to Miami, United States, on December 20. All teams, including the two involved, intend to protest the match outside Spain in this round of the competition due to the organization's lack of transparency.

"We oppose the game in Miami because it corrupts the competition. There was no consultation or unanimity," the coach explained. "The protests (during the match) are positive because they represent the sentiment of many clubs. The decisions that need to be made to prevent this from happening are not up to us," he added.

Leader of La Liga at the start of the 9th round, Real Madrid returns to the field this Sunday, against Getafe, away from home, at 4 pm (Brasília time).