Real Madrid have special plans for 17-year-old academy gem making waves in youth team | OneFootball

Real Madrid starlet Thiago Pitarch is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about names at La Fabrica. The 17-year-old midfielder has had a meteoric rise through the youth system, which hasn’t gone unnoticed either

Initially a member of the Juvenil B team, Pitarch caught the eye of Alvaro Arbeloa earlier this year and was swiftly promoted to the Juvenil A.

He earned a regular starting spot in the Under-19 team and ended the season as one of the standout performers in the setup.

Real Madrid excited about Pitarch

As reported by MARCA, Pitarch’s rapid rise has Real Madrid’s technical staff seriously excited.

The club moved quickly to secure a contract extension for him earlier this year, but with his 18th birthday approaching on August 3, Madrid are already preparing to revisit and upgrade the terms.

His development since January has been so significant that the club believe a new deal as only natural.

Arbeloa is pushing hard for Pitarch’s promotion (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

More recently, Pitarch has been involved in pre-season with Castilla due to injuries and absences.

He even impressed in the friendly against Marbella, playing the full 90 minutes. Arbeloa, once again, is believed to be pushing strongly for his promotion.

Although the promotion might not come anytime soon, the promise Pitarch has shown so far is certainly a big position for Real Madrid, who are expected to stress more on youth development under the leadership of new coach Xabi Alonso.

For now, though, Pitarch will remain registered with Juvenil A and likely feature in the UEFA Youth League.

However, Real Madrid are already exploring the possibility of moving him up to Real Madrid C, or even Castilla, depending on how the season unfolds.