Zidane tells his Real Madrid squad ‘I need you ALL’ to pull off Double despite doubts about Bale and Rodriguez’s futures
ZINEDINE ZIDANE has told his Real Madrid squad: “I’m going to need you all.”
The Galacticos returned to training last week at their Valdebebas HQ following their spell in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Despite being unable to speak to all of his team at once inside the changing room because of social distancing rules, the Frenchman has been “repeating” the same message to each of his players.
That is according to today’s edition of , who say the Madrid boss has had an opportunity to address his men individually or in small groups.
And he has assured everyone they have a part to play as they still harbour hopes of completing the double - even Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez.
Both the Welshman and Colombian have been linked with moves away for months.
However, ZZ will be counting on both over the coming weeks once the Spanish top-flight resumes as he plots a similar path to glory as in the 2016/17 campaign.
Over 20 players racked up over 1,500 minutes of match action in all competitions that season as Madrid went on to lift both the domestic title and Champions League trophy.
It is claimed Zidane is obsessed with “having a Plan B of guarantees” and he believes the return of Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio he will have just that for the run-in.
His team are currently two pints behind leaders Barcelona in LaLiga with 11 games to go.
And they trail Manchester City 2-1 in the Champions League following the first-leg of their last-16 clash at the Bernabeu.
Once the transfer window re-opens, the LaLiga powerhouse are expected to try and flog several assets to raise enough cash to spend on their other summer targets amid the Covid-19 financial crisis.
Recent reports said they must offload at least five of the club's top earners in order to splash out in the summer, as there will be a total of 37 players in their squad following the return of numerous loanees.
Bale has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Real but his £650,000-a-week wages mean that few clubs can afford him, particularly given the current climate.
Zidane was desperate to flog the Welsh star in 2019, but a £1m-a-week move to Jiangsu Suning fell through late in the day.
Bale was subsequently re-integrated into the first-team in Madrid but the injury-prone superstar has struggled to make much of an impact - scoring just three goals and assisting a further two in 18 appearances this term.
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Rodriguez has just one year to run on his contract so Real are keen to avoid losing him on a free and will let him go for £35million.
Bayern Munich rejected the chance to turn his loan spell into a permanent deal last summer, with the ex-Monaco star returning to the Bernabeu where he has featured just 13 times this season.
Everton are reportedly desperate to snap up the Bernabeu playmaker but they face competition from Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolves, while Inter Miami are also keen.
