Zidane suggests he has not made a final decision on a starting keeper

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane gave comments after Real’s 2-0 win over Celta Vigo over the weekend about the goalie situation at the club.

“Those who played today (March 16) were very good but I am going to use everyone. There are of course those who are sometimes going to be left out, who are not going to play. It’s not a final decision, there are 10 games left.”

“Thibaut is going to play again and the third goalkeeper is Luca (Zidane). That’s three good goalkeepers but Madrid should have three or four great goalkeepers. You cannot contest four, five or six competitions with just one great goalkeeper.”

Zidane decided to start Keylor Navas against Celta, something Santiago Solari did not do very often, who also posted a clean sheet. It will be interesting to see if Zidane continues to roll with Navas going forward. Zidane will likely elect to keep starting Navas until there’s reason not to.

It was a bit of redemption match on Saturday for some of the recent Madrid outcasts this season. Isco and Bale, who haven’t started much, both scored in the win. And then obviously Navas’ clean start in goal to to along with these goals.

Zidane says he will count on Bale

Zidane commented to MARCA after the win and Gareth Bale’s goal on Saturday that he will count on Bale towards the rest of this season.

“I’m not going to speak about Bale’s season up to this point. There are 11 matches left to play and I’m going to count on him.”

“I’m going to repeat myself a lot here, but Gareth is ready to play.”

There has been many rumors in the past, particularly during Zidane’s tenure, that Zidane had wanted to sell Bale who was out of favor. Despite not having a great season, Bale can at least look forward to featuring more under Zidane from these comments.

Zidane also talked about trusting and counting on Isco going forward, another play that appeared to be continuously fall out of favor this season.

If both Isco and Bale can continue putting up good performances, already the club is in a better situation under Zidane and he is starting to get the most from his players that haven’t had notable seasons so far.

New Varane rumor comes out in French press

According to French outlet L’Equipe, Raphael Varane is reportedly considering evaluating his career after the season, which may mean he will look for a move away from Madrid.

The headline translated reads “After eight seasons at Real Madrid, Raphaël Varane is currently reflecting on his club future.”

I’ll be the first to say I don’t believe Varane is going anywhere this summer or in the near future. He is an absolute must-keep for the club given his age and the level of play he can bring to the backend. Needless to say, losing him would cause a huge gap that would not be filled easily.

This is either a rumor or it could even be a renegotiating tactic for Varane’s contract with the club. Either way, it’s a safe bet that he likely isn’t leaving and just another transfer rumor to add to the fire that keeps burning with rumored transfers out of the Bernabéu this summer.