Zidane: There will be changes, but many of these Real Madrid players will stay

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Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has made it clear that whilst there will be players departing the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, it will not be the overhaul that some are expecting.

In addition to the current squad, there will be several players returning following the conclusion of their loan deals, but Zidane intimated that he intends to tinker the side, rather than have a lot of turnover during the upcoming transfer window.

“There will be changes this summer, but many of these players will stay,” Zidane said at his pre-match press conference.

“The fans will be the same, and most of the players [will be those they are watching now], and we must be together.

“We still have three games to play. We must play them. I am feeling good, it’s true. I was very angry the other day, the players were too; they did not enjoy it. Sometimes nothing goes for you, like the other day [in the defeat at Rayo Vallecano].”

At the beginning of his press conference, Zidane was keen to send a message to his former teammate and friend, Iker Casillas, following his heart attack in midweek.

“I want to send a message of support and strength to Iker,” he stated.

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“I exchanged messages with him yesterday.

“He is feeling better now; he has to rest now and recover.

“But from the message [I received], he is in good spirits.”

Paul Pogba has been strongly linked with a move to Madrid this summer, though Zidane was keen to make a point that he only complimented his compatriot.

“I said Pogba was a good player; I could say the same about other players,” noted Zidane.

“I know him, nothing else.

“Pogba is very good, but he plays for Manchester United.

“At the end of the season we will see which players come here and who leaves.

“But I did not say ‘we are going to bring Pogba.'”

After being out for two months through injury, Vinicius Junior looks set to play a part in Madrid’s clash against Villarreal on Sunday afternoon.

“Vinicius is training much better and is ready to be in the squad,” said Zidane.

“He needed these two weeks; he is better physically now.

“He is still 18. He is very good, an important player for future of this team and for the seasons to come.”

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