“I warned Xabi Alonso about that particular player, he refused to bench him and He drew the game Vs Girona is making the same mistake now, I’m warning him also”: Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane names ONE player who doesn’t deserve to start for Real Madrid, warned Alonso about the unforgivable mistake

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo Goes has struggled significantly over the last 12 months, experiencing a prolonged slump in performance from which he has yet to recover.

The 24-year-old forward finished the previous campaign poorly under Carlo Ancelotti and faced strong transfer speculation during the summer window, but chose to remain and compete for a spot under Xabi Alonso’s management.

However, circumstances haven’t improved for the Brazil international.

Rodrygo has achieved an unwanted milestone at Real Madrid. Following the Girona fixture, he holds the record for the most playing time and appearances without finding the net for the Spanish giants.

The Brazilian striker has endured 30 consecutive games without scoring across all tournaments, totaling precisely 1,339 minutes during this barren spell.

His most recent goal for the club occurred on March 4 against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League knockout stages. In domestic competition, he last scored on January 19 versus Las Palmas.

Rodrygo now matches former Madrid striker Mariano Diaz’s unwanted club record of 30 goalless matches, though Mariano’s drought lasted only 986 minutes.

Third on this unfortunate list is Rafa Maranon, who endured 29 matches and 1,426 minutes without scoring in 1970.

Should Rodrygo fail to score in his next appearance, he will surpass Mariano as the forward with the longest goalless run in Real Madrid’s history.

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Ex-Premier League player Don Hutchison believes Manchester United are failing to meet expectations this season, particularly considering their absence from European competitions, while suggesting their Crystal Palace victory on Sunday must serve as a catalyst for improvement.

Although United struggled through the opening period at Selhurst Park, they recovered impressively after halftime with strikes from Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount securing the comeback.

The victory ended a run of three winless games for Ruben Amorim’s squad, who sit seventh but remain within three points of third-placed Chelsea.

“Given they have no European commitments whatsoever, this squad should be achieving more,” Hutchison stated on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast. “They’re not facing the challenge of multiple weekly fixtures – they’re enjoying at least five or six days between matches.

“Performance levels should be higher. The opening 45 minutes were disappointing once again.

“However, this represents progress. It was a solid away result against one of the league’s in-form teams at a difficult venue.

“The atmosphere is hostile, the opposition is strong, and securing three points there is significant.

“The positive for United supporters is upcoming fixtures against West Ham and Wolves, which should yield six points.

“There’s an opportunity to build positive momentum that must be seized. No more justifications – this result must launch their improvement.”