Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz has found it impossible to earn playing time this season, and a loan spell almost looks like a guarantee at this point.
When Mariano Diaz scored 21 goals for Lyon in 2017-2018, it looked like he would fit in nicely as a striker off the bench at Real Madrid. Instead, the 26-year-old has struggled at the Bernabeu. After scoring only four goals in 19 appearances last season, Mariano has yet to make an appearance in 2019-2020.
Stuck behind Karim Benzema, Luka Jovic, and Brahim Diaz, Mariano has little hope of even making it to the substitutes’ bench. He is too talented to receive no game time, so a loan deal has seemed inevitable.
According to Goal.com’s James Westwood, Mariano’s agent recently told Laroma24 that the player will embark on a two-year loan shortly, though he has not selected a club yet.
There should be plenty of suitors for Mariano, who can be a 20-goal striker for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues. A loan deal should give the forward an opportunity to reestablish himself. Real Madrid wanted Mariano to go out on loan this season, but he wanted to fight for a spot in the squad. Unfortunately, that was never really realistic, despite Mariano’s ambitions and best efforts.
Mariano received links to Roma, AC Milan, Schalke, and other quality clubs this summer, so it will be interesting to see which teams emerge as suitors this winter. It looks like Real will loan out Mariano as soon as possible, as there is no point in him sitting on the reserves for the rest of 2019-2020. Again, he’s too talented to not receive game time, and he should have the opportunity to show his skills to other teams in Europe.
A two-year loan to a Serie A side could be ideal for Mariano this winter. When he last appeared for Los Blancos, he scored a brace against Villarreal, and there are few people doubting his quality. At a club like Roma or Milan, Mariano could reach the heights he achieved in his best season at Lyon.