Real Madrid summer signing has been playing with calf discomfort for weeks | OneFootball

The manner in which Dean Huijsen started off at Real Madrid, after arriving for a fee of €58 million in June, created a lot of excitement.

The 20-year-old Spaniard was being chased by several top clubs across Europe and his performances early on in the iconic white of Real Madrid showed just why.

However, as the season has gone by, Huijsen’s performances have been on a downward spiral, including his display in Los Blancos’ latest game against Rayo Vallecano.

Huijsen playing with pain from calf issue

Now, according to AS, Huijsen has been playing for several weeks hampered by discomfort in his calf muscle that has not fully gone away.

It must be remembered that the 20-year-old defender missed a few matches back in October due to a calf injury. Later in December, he was absent for a stretch of games once again due to muscular problems.

As it so happens, the calf problem has never entirely gone away and Huijsen is understood to have been playing with discomfort for several weeks now.

Dean Huijsen has regressed in recent months. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

It has seemingly affected his game, with Huijsen now appearing like a more timid version of the player that arrived in June, when it comes to ball-playing, while he has also been soft and nervy when it comes to his defensive actions.

When he was taken off against Rayo Vallecano in the 77th minute, the Santiago Bernabeu whistled at the young defender, showing that the fans are clearly unhappy with what they are seeing from the €58 million summer signing.

If this situation continues, Huijsen’s place in the starting eleven will come under scrutiny in the coming weeks.

While Eder Militao’s return is still some way away, Antonio Rudiger is closing in on a comeback and could put pressure on the youngster, especially with Raul Asencio emerging as Real Madrid’s best-performing defender in recent weeks.