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This summer, Real Madrid added yet another young talent to their roster— a goalkeeper by the name of Andriy Lunin. The 20 year old surprised fans in the preseason with the level of performance he exhibited. He was on the radar of many big clubs including Arsenal, Inter Milan, Manchester City, and reportedly half of Europe. He chose Madrid. In an effort to continue his development, Real Madrid and Lunin found Pellegrino and Leganes as the goalkeepers best option. Unfortunately, things have simply not worked out. Lunin has been relegated to playing the Copa Del Rey matches and only featured in four matches—one La Liga start, two CDR matches against Rayo, and one brief 4-minute cameo in La Liga. With Leganes now facing Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey, his options may be even more limited, thus the Madrid hierarchy have three options to choose from:
Another Loan to a Different Team
The most probable option is to cut the current loan with Leganes short and farm Lunin out to one of the many other interested teams from this past Summer. Rayo Vallecano was considered in the summer and Real Sociedad has had goalkeeping issues all season long. The winter market presents an opportunity to get Lunin with the right team.
Replace Keylor Navas in the Real Madrid Squad
If Keylor Navas opts to leave during the upcoming winter market, Madrid may feel the best option will be to bring Lunin back home where they have more control over his training, playing time, and overall development. This option is entirely dependent upon the future of Keylor Navas. Lunin will again be relegated to Copa Del Rey matches, which will not be a huge improvement over his current situation.
Remain at Leganes and Continue to Battle with Cuellar
The last, and at this point least desirable option, is to remain at Leganes. Lunin would continue to play in the Copa Del Rey (where he likely won’t be able to play against Madrid and he likely will be knocked out of the competition) and battle it out with Cuellar for the #1 spot. Pellegrino insisted on having Lunin form part of the Leganes team this summer, but has failed to follow his word. Both the player (Lunin) and club (Real Madrid) are not happy with the situation.
Whatever decision is taking should be in the best interest of developing what is a top goalkeeping prospect. Lunin was covered by half of Europe this summer, but opted for Real Madrid. Now it’s the clubs responsibility to ensure he develops into a top level goalkeeper.