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According to TeamTalk, Real Madrid have joined the growing list of clubs monitoring Gabriel Rajkovic, a 15-year-old winger whose rapid development at Valerenga has already attracted attention from several of Europe’s leading sides.
The Merengues are known for keeping an eye on exciting young talent across the globe and it seems that Rajkovic’s exploits in Norway, with the first team, have alerted them.
Real Madrid keeping tabs on Rajkovic
As per the report, Real Madrid are among a host of clubs closely following the progress of the young forward.
Rajkovic holds both Norwegian and Serbian nationality and has emerged as one of the most promising young players in Norway.
His development has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also understood to be monitoring him.
However, at this point, it is Arsenal and Chelsea, who are understood to be leading the charge for Rajkovic, having compiled a detailed dossier on the teenage prodigy after extensive scouting.
On top of that, the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have all watched Rajkovic in recent weeks.
Real Madrid could therefore face significant competition if they decide to step up their interest in a player who has already made an impression at senior level.
Making an impact at just 15
Rajkovic was handed a promotion to the Valerenga first-team squad in January earlier this year, when he was only 14 years old.
Following that, he signed a new contract with the club in March, when he turned 15, committing to the club until 2028.
Despite being only 15, the winger has already begun gaining experience in first-team football. In all, he has made 14 senior appearances for the Norwegian outfit, scoring three and assisting one goal.
Rajkovic has also represented Norway Under-16s, making two appearances and scoring once despite being younger than many of his teammates.
Those numbers become more impressive when his age and stage of development are taken into account.
Real Madrid have built a reputation for identifying young talent well before players reach their peak, and Rajkovic has now emerged as another name on their scouting radar.
But given the number of clubs in the race, signing the teenage wonderkid will not be easy.
Jose Mourinho talks Diomande, Vinicius, Guler, Bellingham, fatigue after Real Madrid 4-1 Rayo Vallecano
Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid coach
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
With three goals in the first half, Real Madrid romped away to a 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano last night in a gruelling clash.
Los Blancos were brilliant in the first-half with serious dominance and took the game away from the opposition without handing them any chances.
The second-half, however, was a completely different picture as Rayo began to grow into the game, had periods of dominance and created multiple chances to even return to level terms.
Eventually, they only managed to pull one goal back, and Real Madrid walked away with all three points and a dominant scoreline.
Mourinho’s presser
Jose Mourinho, Real Madrid coach
Mourinho was largely happy with the team effort vs Rayo Vallecano. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Speaking to the media after the game, Jose Mourinho defended his players for their relatively slack performance and the energy dip after the break.
“I noticed the players were tired in the 2nd half. It’s not easy to play Inter and turn up tonight. Congratulations to my players for the effort.”
“We’re scoring a lot of goals, but in return, we’re also wasting a lot of chances,” he added as his primary takeaway.
Elaborating on the strengths of his team and the areas where they excel as a unit, the Portuguese manager said,
“We’re a team that attacks with intensity and speed, we’re not the type of team that possesses the ball and circulates it for 10 minutes before shooting at goal. We’re a defensive and fast team; we recover the ball and go straight into acceleration.”
“When you accelerate and play faster, decision-making becomes quicker, and therefore finishing and scoring becomes more difficult,” he added on the inherent difficulty.
He then spoke confidently of how his side can win convincingly if they convert all their chances.
“But I was joking with my staff and players inside, telling them that one day, one of these teams will die and get punished because of all the chances we’re wasting, and one day we’ll score 6 or 7 goals when all the balls go in.”
Finally, he admitted that Arda Guler is almost essential to his team, and how the young Turk improves the side’s creative output.
“I agree with you, with Arda Güler we play better. Arda plays well and he shows it when he’s on the field.”
Mourinho was then asked about the team’s progress under his leadership in the last three months, to which he insisted that the complete three months cannot be calculated.
“Am I worried about how we play? I’m happy, I’m happy. We’ve been together for 3 months, and actually it’s not a full 3 months.”
“We can only count it when we’re all together since the moment the players returned who played in the semi-final, the final, and the third and fourth-place match at the World Cup,” he added.
He then spoke out on how building a ‘perfect’ system is a myth and how the team are currently on the right track.
“You can’t build perfection. Perfection doesn’t exist in football. And when I say a near-perfect team, that doesn’t happen in 3 days, nor in 3 months, and sometimes not even in 3 years.”
“I think what we’re doing right now includes many, many positive things. We’ll continue working step by step in an attempt to always improve,” he added.
On the team being drained
Real Madrid looked visibly drained in the second half and simply dipped in terms of intensity, and the manager did not criticise the team for the same.
“I describe today’s match as a 45-minute match, a match that ended in 45 minutes. There are no more details; the score was 3-0, 4-0.”
“I knew the team didn’t have the energy, neither physically nor mentally, to continue the second half in the same style and playing in the same way. I knew the team wouldn’t be able to do that,” he added.
Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid star
Bellingham once again got on to the scoresheet. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Describing how fatigued the team were not only in a physical but in a mental sense, the manager said,
“I think the image that perfectly illustrates what I’m saying is the way Jude Bellingham played in the last 10 minutes; he had virtually no energy left.”
“When it comes to energy, it’s physical energy, but it’s also mental, and it leads to a drop not just in the intensity of play, but in the intensity of focus as well,” he added.
Finally, he admitted that a drop in energy inevitably leads to chances conceded, thus being an area they must improve on.
“This causes more mistakes; almost everyone made errors in the first phase of build-up play, where we lost 3 or 4 balls, difficulty in pressing, the defensive block dropping back. Rayo got shots on goal that they didn’t have in the first half.”
On Yan Diomande’s full debut
Real Madrid’s record signing Yan Diomande made his full debut last night against Rayo Vallecano, and Mourinho praised the player for his gradual adaptation.
“Yan Diomandé is improving gradually. He has very little experience in top-level European football, which he got almost entirely last season with Leipzig and very little else.”
“He has a lot to learn tactically, but it’s clear to see, and especially in training even more so, that he has amazing potential; in one-on-one duels, in crosses, in shooting, and he’s a very strong player,” he added.
Elaborating on what the new signing provides him with in terms of options, Mourinho said,
“His presence gives us a lot of options. He can play in Vinícius’s position, or on the right flank, and Arda can play on the right, or in Jude Bellingham’s position.”
“I have to make decisions, and at this moment, I want to develop the young Diomandé because I already know what the rest of the players can offer,” he added.
On Vinicius Jr.
Unsurprisingly, the final part of the media interaction was back to the topic of Vinicius Jr., and the manager obliged in discussing the same.
“Does Vinicius Junior need physical and mental improvement? No, no. Physically, he’s better than ever,” he began.
“He’s just missing a tiny millimeter to reach his top speed, and the ability to repeat that huge effort. I think he’s already starting to understand that my demands on him defensively are very high too,” he added.
Speaking on how Vinicius is a true Madridista and how the player has taken up serious responsibility at the club, the coach said,
“It’s a process he’s beginning to grasp; mentally, he’s incredibly strong, and he’s a young man who’s been at Madrid for many years and knows the club better than anyone else.”
“His whole life, he’s shouldered an enormous responsibility, which is the responsibility of playing for Real Madrid and playing for the Brazilian national team,” he added.
Finally, he expressed optimism that the player was slowly but surely returning to his best after a difficult period.
“He’s an incredibly calm young man, who knows himself and his body very well, and he knows full well that he’s approaching the peak of his level.”
“Right now, we’re in the stage of decisive assists, and the stage of forcing his mind to read the game from the defensive side, and the goals will come later,” he added.