The 16-year-old Martin Odegaard could make his debut for Real Madrid when the European champions host Almería on Wednesday after being included in the match-day squad for the first time.
“Tomorrow in the squad there will be three youth-team players,” the Real coach Carlo Ancelotti told the club website. “Odegaard, [Borja] Mayoral and Diego Llorente. I think two of the three will be on the bench and they could get an opportunity to play.”
Real signed the Norwegian teenager in January and although he has trained with the first-team squad his outings have been limited to the reserve team Real Madrid Castilla in the Spanish third division.
However, with Real missing the injured Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric, and the suspended Dani Carvajal and Sergio Ramos, Odegaard may be given his big chance at the Bernabéu.
Ancelotti reckons Bale should be fit to play at Sevilla on Saturday while Benzema could return in time for next week’s Champions League semi-final, first leg away to Juventus.
“We reckon Bale will be back for the Sevilla game,” he said. “He will work on his own today and tomorrow and could return to the team after that.
“Benzema will start training with the team again on Sunday. He will travel to Turin by coach and airplane like the rest of the players. He’ll be in the right shape to do that. He is not at full fitness, but we need him for this semi-final, just like we need the whole squad.”
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