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Portuguese left-back Fabio Coentrao has officially joined Sporting Portugal on a loan deal which will keep him with the Lisbon-based club until the summer of 2018. Coentrao is under contract with Real Madrid until 2019, meaning that Los Blancos could potentially have to find him another club next year.
The left-back, once a talented defender, barely played for Madrid last season after a disastrous performance against Legia Warsaw. Coach Zinedine Zidane did not trust him and it's better for him to leave and play minutes elsewhere.
Real Madrid are set to announce the signing of Theo Hernandez, who will now be Marcelo's backup on the left side of the defensive line. Theo is a promising player but it won't be easy for him to start in the short term. However, Marcelo will be able to rest more often and that's huge for Zidane, knowing that he likes to rotate his squad to keep his starters fresh and and his reserves involved.