Xabi Alonso will test youth team star in ‘Joselu role’ at Club World Cup | OneFootball

It has been known for a while now that Xabi Alonso is looking for a player to play the number 9 position in his Real Madrid setup.

The team may indeed have Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. as attacking stars but neither brings the much-needed striker’s instincts to the box.

The manager, thus, has been looking for a ‘Joselu’ like signing in recent weeks with several names including Ante Budimir being linked with the club. So far, however, nothing has materialised.

The temporary solution

As relayed by AS in a recent report, Alonso is thus looking to take the Castilla star Gonzalo Garcia to the FIFA Club World Cup because it looks unlikely that a signing will be made before that.

There is not long left on the ‘special’ transfer window for the event later this month, but the manager sees it to be absolutely non-negotiable to have a player who can operate as a striker.

Gonzalo Garcia will play the ‘Joselu role’ at Club World Cup. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Garcia is the one chosen to play that ‘Joselu’ like role and will thus travel with the team to the United States. Moreover, he can even expect to have regular minutes to prove his worth.

The 21-year-old star will undoubtedly start on the bench more often than not and is not counted upon as a starter.

His introduction as an impact substitute, however, is what Alonso is relying on and the player has shown in the past to have what it takes.

His name, after all, takes one back to the team’s game against Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarter-final last season where he scored a last-minute winner for Real Madrid after coming on just in the 82nd minute.