Luka Jovic has found it hard to kick-start his Real Madrid career and Saturday s LaLiga defeat to Real Mallorca showed how much work the striker still has to do.
The 21-year-old, a reported €50million signing from Eintracht Frankfurt in the transfer window, has struggled to make an impact under Zinedine Zidane thanks largely to the continued good form of Karim Benzema.
Speaking on Friday, Zidane insisted Jovic was not discouraged at having previously started just two LaLiga matches and promised the forward would be given his chance.
He duly was for the visit to Son Moix, where Madrid s unbeaten start to the league season came to an end thanks to a fine first-half goal from Lago Junior seven minutes in.
Jovic started alongside Benzema in attack as Zidane made a number of changes, most likely with one eye on next Tuesday s Champions League trip to Galatasaray, but the two-pronged attack was a blunt one.
In his 66 minutes on the pitch, Jovic failed to have a shot or a single touch in the Mallorca penalty area, created no chances for team-mates and touched the ball just 25 times overall.
0 Against Mallorca, Luka Jovic failed to register a single shot and a single touch in the oppositte box. Disconnection.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose)
He only exchanged four passes with Benzema, too, highlighting just how much of a disconnect there was between the strikers on a day where Madrid s final ball was far too often wayward.
This was Mallorca s first win over Madrid in LaLiga since May 2009 and their first at home since February 2006, while it ended Madrid s unbeaten domestic run to leave them a point behind leaders Barcelona after nine matches.
The return of injured stars such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale will be welcome, but finding a way to spark Jovic into life might be a more pressing concern.
