It has been an eventful couple of years for goalkeeper Andriy Lunin as he’s been through three separate clubs in the past two seasons. Now as a returnee for Real Madrid, Lunin is expected to have a significant role for Zinedine Zidane as a backup.
Having someone like Lunin within the main roster can be beneficial for the club as his long six-foot-four frame can prove to be useful for Real Madrid. With quick reflexes and a calm disposition, the Santiago Bernabeu-based squad can take advantage of Lunin, per Fansided’s The Real Champs. While he’s not yet within the level of Thibaut Courtois, he can further develop his game with the exposure he receives from one of the game’s elite goalkeepers.
Throughout the past two seasons, Lunin was passed around several teams and wasn’t utilized as much. During his stint with CD Leganes, he was only used for seven appearances. This was worse during his stay in Real Valladolid as he only suited up for two games. It was during his time with the second-tier club Real Oviedo where he was able to garner more experience as he played for 20 games and had six clean sheets.
Given the strength of starting goalkeeper Courtois, it’s necessary that a worthy backup is within the roster of Los Blancos. The effectiveness of Courtois has been one of the key points in Real Madrid’s success as he was awarded the Zamora trophy after their stellar La Liga campaign. It’s expected that Lunin can take on this role given how Zidane chose to recall him back to the main squad. There’s still a lot to learn for the 21-year-old, but it’s clear that there is potential to improve as part of the world’s biggest clubs.
It will be interesting to see if Lunin can garner sufficient minutes as a returnee to his main club. The expectations are high for Real Madrid as they’re looking to garner more championships with star players such as Karim Benzema on the team. The talent is there for Lunin and time can tell if he will be able to maximize his stay as a piece in Zidane’s lineup.