Real Madrid academy starlet turned down exit offers; tipped to make first-team jump under Mourinho

Real Madrid academy starlet turned down exit offers; tipped to make first-team jump under Mourinho Real Madrid made many Castilla sales over the course of the summer transfer window, with the academy emerging as a major source of income for the club. The sales, in turn, allowed Los Blancos to invest that money towards improving the first-team squad at Jose Mourinho’s disposal. Florentino Perez brought in as many as six players in the market for the first team, with Yan Diomande emerging as their record acquisition. Now, according to AS , one Castilla player who chose patience over an early exit from the club was 19-year-old Joan Martinez. The central defender had several offers to leave the club this summer but decided to stay with Castilla and push for a first-team berth. Joan chooses another year at Castilla There was some uncertainty surrounding the teenager’s future at the club, with Joan starting on the bench behind Oscar Naasei in Castilla’s opening match of the season. Mourinho used Joan Martínez during Real Madrid’s pre-season matches. (Photo by David Balogh/Getty Images) However, with the transfer window now shut, the decision is clear. Joan will remain at Castilla for what could be his final season with the reserve team, and expectations around him are significantly higher than before. Last season, he made 36 appearances, scored three goals and accumulated 2,883 minutes. That campaign was also shaped by his recovery from the serious knee injury suffered the previous year. By the end of the season, however, Joan had become an important figure in the Castilla defence. This year, Madrid expect him to make the step up. A season to become the leader The challenge is no longer simply to return to his previous level. Joan is now expected to become one of Castilla’s defensive leaders and show that he can dominate regularly rather than merely have first-team potential. A move elsewhere might have offered senior football, but another year inside Madrid’s structure gives Joan the chance to play consistently while remaining close to Jose Mourinho’s first-team plans. Joan Martinez is expected to step up this season. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images) He already featured during pre-season, starting against Fiorentina and Ferencvaros, and Mourinho publicly praised the young defender while also highlighting that he needed to improve his physicality. Joan has since lost some first-team prominence and was not included once La Liga began, but that does not mean the pathway has closed. He is still expected to train with Mourinho’s squad at times and could receive opportunities if injuries, suspensions or rotation create space. Once touted to be the next big thing in Castilla, Joan’s development has been disrupted in recent seasons by an ACL injury. However, with the teenager now fit and opting to stay, the onus is on him to step up and take his game to the next level this season. This could be a make-or-break season for Joan to get his Madrid career on track, and it remains to be seen whether he can make the most of it and give Mourinho a difficult decision to make through the course of the season.