Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has reportedly admitted that he was wrong to allow Martin Odegaard to join Arsenal on loan in the winter transfer window.
Odegaard found playing opportunities hard to come by after returning to the Bernabeu from a successful loan spell at Real Sociedad last season.
He made just seven appearances in La Liga during the first half of the season, being selected to start just three times by manager Zidane.
That led to the Norwegian demanding a loan move away from Los Blancos in the January window, with Arsenal emerging as the frontrunners for his signature.
Since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, Odegaard has become a key member of Mikel Arteta’s team, making 18 appearances for the Gunners.
While Odegaard has starred for Arsenal, Madrid have become involved in the La Liga title race, but have been plagued by injuries.
Zidane’s men are currently five points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid, though they do have a game in hand on Diego Simeone’s side.
While they have not lost since the end of January, Los Blancos have been held to five draws which has left them reliant on Atletico slipping up to have a chance at lifting a second successive title.
And Defensa Central report that Zidane has privately admitted he made a fatal error by allowing Odegaard to leave in January.
The Spanish news organisation claim that the Frenchman believes that Madrid would have already wrapped up the title had Odegaard stayed in the Spanish capital.
The injury crisis that Madrid have suffered has left them short of options to be able to rotate their ageing squad.
According to the report, Zidane has said that letting Odegaard leave “did a lot of damage” to his side’s hopes of lifting La Liga again.
That “damage” has come in the form of the fatigue that stars such as Luka Modric and Toni Kroos has suffered, who would have been able to have been rested had Odegaard stayed.
Madrid have just three games left in which to catch Atletico, with Los Blancos facing a tough final run-in of top-half sides Granada, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal.
