Real Madrid needs to give Luka Jovic time to become great, claims Michel Salgado

Real Madrid needs to give Luka Jovic time to become great, claims Michel Salgado

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Former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado has admitted that the club needs to give Luka Jovic time to become a great striker. The Serbian star arrived over the summer for €60 million but has failed to live up to the promise he showed in Germany and is yet to open his account for the Los Blancos.

The 21-year-old finished his second and final season with Eintracht Frankfurt with 27 goals, five goals behind eventual golden boot winner Robert Lewandowski. However, it was the Serbian’s performances in the Europa League that won him plaudits, with Jovic doing well against every team Frankfurt played even in their eventual semi-final loss to Chelsea. That saw him linked with moves to Barcelona, Manchester City, and Real Madrid, with the Los Blancos taking the €60 million plunge.

However, things haven’t worked out for either side so far with Jovic making just seven appearances for the club with Zinedine Zidane leaving him out completely against Sevilla, Granada and Club Brugge. It has seen critics complain that Real Madrid panicked and spent on the young Serbian but former Los Blancos star Michel Salgado has insisted that Luka Jovic is the real deal. The defender, who won four La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies, went on to admit that Jovic needs time to adapt and will eventually do exceptionally well for the club.

“He's a young player. If Real Madrid signed him, is due to something. He has been a great player Eintracht Frankfurt, lot of goals, great attacking quality. It is known that Real Madrid needed a 'nine', a striker. Benzema is a different 'nine', a player that collects, combines over finishing. Jovic must still learn, it's a young player and Real Madrid it's a team with a lot of pressure. He needs time. He has that time, we know he's a great striker, you guys know that here in Germany,” he told Omnisport.

Things have been far from straightforward for Real Madrid despite their summer spending with critics and fans alike criticising Zinedine Zidane especially after the loss to PSG. But with Real Madrid sitting two points clear atop the La Liga table their league performances has been comparatively better and Solgado admitted that Zidane deserves more respect then he is getting right now. He further added that being the manager of Real Madrid comes with a lot of pressure and the Frenchman is the man to lead them forward.

"There's always critics at Real Madrid. A club that depends on victories, a gigantic club. With a lot of pressure. But I think the last two scores had calm the team. Zidane deserves all our respect, he won three Champions Leagues in a row. Something that no one has achieved in history, now arriving into Madrid in a difficult position from last year. The season just started, and they climb into the first positions. We've got to let them work.

"I know Real Madrid, I been there almost 11 years. I know how it works and it's important that the manager and the players are calm in a moment like these. As I said, being leaders brought clam to the team and the team will grow a lot from now on. Zidane deserves the confidence from us, supporters. I think he's doing a great job,” concluded Solgado.

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