Xabi Alonso smiles, Real Madrid makes this '9' official and he will be important

Real Madrid has confirmed the addition of another player to the sports squad led by Xabi Alonso. The Tolosa coach did not have all the footballers from the first team when he arrived at Santiago Bernabéu locker room, a circumstance he has handled exceptionally well. At least for now, since that's what his first matches show.

As the recovery processes progress, the first team starts to get back those players Xabi Alonso wants to see in action firsthand. One of the most promising and striking for the new merengue coaching staff is none other than a young forward who just joined the white squad in Miami.

Endrick's arrival at the club's "headquarters" in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a sign that the "16" verdeamarelo is fully recovered from his previous injury. As such, he will now be under the orders of a coach who promises to give him many more minutes of play than Carlo Ancelotti.

The situation for Endrick is not easy at all. His addition to the first team comes at the peak of Gonzalo García's popularity and performance, who has been filling in for a Kylian Mbappé suffering from gastroenteritis. The Bondy striker, as well as the homegrown white player, are now his main competition.

More quality to keep winning

It remains to be seen what role Endrick will play in Xabi Alonso's tactical plans, but it seems clear that the Taguatinga striker will get the minutes he needs to show his quality. Real Madrid's coaching staff are using the Club World Cup as a kind of field laboratory, "experimenting" and getting to know the merengue footballers in depth.

Those analyses and tactical changes are being carried out without losing sight of the goal set at the Valdebebas offices: to reach the final and win it. The decisions made by Xabi Alonso so far show that the Tolosa coach is ready to make room for all the footballers who are needed.

Endrick is just that in this sense. Xabi Alonso has requested greater maneuverability in the center forward position, a desire that would have been fulfilled with the three footballers he now has at his disposal. Kylian Mbappé, Gonzalo García, and Endrick offer very different ways of interpreting the center forward position, proving effective in completely different match situations and game plans.

While Kylian Mbappé recovers from his acute gastroenteritis, with the round of 16 match against Juventus of Turin on the horizon, Endrick returns to the white squad. Not only to compete with Gonzalo García for minutes in the upcoming matches, but also to show that he deserves to have an important share of playing time from now on.