Real Madrid blown away by attacker who has arrived in pre-season in top form: Reports
Real Madrid are seemingly impressed with the condition in which attacker Arda Guler has arrived for pre-season. The 19-year-old arrived at Los Blancos last summer from Fenerbahce.
Guler had an injury-plagued debut season at the Santiago Bernabeu, managing only 12 appearances across competitions, contributing six goals. All those strikes came in 10 outings in La Liga, which Madrid won, along with two other titles - the Supercopa Espana and the UEFA Champions League.
The teenager had an impressive Euro 2024 campaign with Turkey - who lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in the semis - bagging a goal and two assists in five games. He has now reported back at the Santiago Bernabeu in impressive physical condition.
As per Madrid Zone, the coaching staff is pleased to see Guler meeting the physical targets set to him. He's set to play a prominent role for the side this season, the report adds.
The former Fenerbahce wonderkid is part of the Los Blancos squad that has arrived in the United States for pre-season, as per Managing Madrid.
However, new signing Kylian Mbappe and attacker Jude Bellingham haven't been included, as they went deep with their respective teams at Euro 2024. While Bellingham's England lost 2-1 to Spain in the final, Mbappe's France lost by the same scoreline to the eventual champions in the semi-final.
A look at Real Madrid's 2024-25 pre-season
As mentioned above, Real Madrid have landed in the United States for their pre-season, which starts against Serie A giants AC Milan at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 31.
Los Blancos next take on their arch-rivals Barcelona three days later at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey before winding their tour with a clash with Premier League side Chelsea on August 6 at the Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina.
Their season starts in right earnest eight days later against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw before kickstarting their La Liga title defence at Mallorca on August 18.