His signing was seen by many as a sign that Karim Benzema would be phased out of the Real Madrid starting lineup this season, but Luka Jovic hasn’t come close to having that sort of impact since arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer. Benzema certainly hasn’t been phased out of the lineup.

In fact, the French striker has never been as important a figure as he is now, finishing as Real Madrid’s top scorer for the 2019/20 season. Jovic, on the other hand, started just four La Liga matches, scoring only twice. The Serbian centre forward was a peripheral figure for the majority of the title-winning campaign.

This has led to speculation that Jovic could leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer having failed to make an impression in the Spanish capital. Big money signings aren’t often given much time to prove themselves at Real Madrid and Jovic want be kept around until he feels comfortable. Just ask Alvaro Morata.

A switch to the Premier League has been mooted, with Arsenal, Everton and Wolves all mentioned as potential destinations for Jovic. He has become a victim of circumstance at Real Madrid and still has remarkable potential. The Serbian just needs the right club and the right environment to thrive.

At Eintracht Frankfurt last season, Jovic flourished in a front two. At Real Madrid, he has been asked to lead the line on his own or fit into a 4-3-3 formation. Those are roles that don’t suit him. This is why a move to somewhere like Wolves, where he could feasibly play alongside Diogo Jota as a replacement for Raul Jimenez, might appeal Jovic. He could also play alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front for Everton.

“The feelings are good, despite the absences,” Zinedine Zidane insisted when asked to provide an update on Jovic’s status at Real Madrid earlier this year. “There’s a very big squad, and the rest are here to respond. Jovic is an obvious option. He is the future. He has to be calm. He is learning. He’s a boy who wants to learn a lot. He’s very good. He’ll get a lot of goals. We’ve backed him, and you have to be calm with him.”

For how much longer will they continue to back him, though? And even if they do, would Jovic be better off elsewhere? It appears the Serbian is already nearing a crossroads in his Real Madrid career.

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His signing was one of Real Madrid’s biggest in the summer. Indeed, Luka Jovic arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu to much fanfare. After all, the Serbian striker had just enjoyed an exceptional season with Eintracht Frankfurt, leading the Bundesliga club to the latter rounds of the Europa League. Los Blancos needed a striker and Jovic appeared to fit the bill.

However, the 22-year-old has struggled to find a place at his new club. Jovic has scored just once for Real Madrid this season with game time at a premium. With Karim Benzema enjoying the season of his life, the Serbian has been distinctly second choice. Even when he has been given the chance, Jovic has toiled.

And yet there’s still a sense that he could make a difference for Real Madrid in the second half of the season. The fixtures are now coming thick and fast for Los Blancos, with the La Liga title race hotting up, the Copa del Rey getting into full swing and the Champions League set to return for the last 16 stage in February. Zinedine Zidane will almost certainly need to rotate his squad.

There have been signs of improvement of late. Jovic started a crucial La Liga match against Sevilla two weeks ago with Benzema out injured. While the Serbian failed to find the back of the net, he played an important in a 2-1 home win. There is increasingly a feeling that Jovic can play as a part of Real Madrid’s attacking line even if he remains unconvincing in scoring goals for himself.

Zidane is standing by his summer signing. Speculation swirled over January that Jovic could leave on loan, but is still at Real Madrid. I’d like him to score, but he’ll get there if he keeps working,” the French boss said after the mid-week Copa del Rey win over Real Zaragoza. “He’s young, he’s just arrived and the good thing is that he’s in a team where there are a lot of big players and he has to adapt. The delicate moment will be good for him – when he finally scores, everything will change.”

Real Madrid are building momentum, with Los Blancos holding a three-point lead at the top of La Liga at this moment. Players like Fede Valverde and Ferland Mendy are offering something to Zidane he didn’t have last season. It’s now up to Jovic to prove that he can do the same thing up front.

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He was one of Real Madrid’s marquee signings. Only Eden Hazard cost them more than Luka Jovic in the summer, with the Serbian striker making the move to the Santiago Bernabeu from Eintracht Frankfurt for around £60 million. On the basis of Jovic’s performances for the German side last season, it looked to be a shrewd addition.

After all, Real Madrid needed a striker. Karim Benzema had stepped into the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo the year before, but with the Frenchman now well into his 30s he needed someone to rotate. It was even pondered whether Jovic could play as a strike partner to Benzema. 4-4-2 has come back into vogue across Europe.

Instead, Jovic has largely had to watch from the sidelines. He has struggled for game time since joining Real Madrid, starting just three La Liga games and scoring one for his new team this season. Some have even speculated that the Serbian could be sold or loaned out with his national team manager also casting doubt on the player’s character and mindset.

“I take care of each player to get the best of the national team,” Ljubisa Tumbakovic said in a recent interview. “I’ve never given up on anyone. One player who has moved away from the team is Luka Jovic and, in truth, he’s the only one. There are no problems between us. Luka Jovic’s problem is Luka Jovic.”

2020 presents Jovic with a fresh start, though. The fixtures will now come thick and fast for Real Madrid as they move into the second half of the season and squad depth will be crucial for Zinedine Zidane as he fights for honours on all fronts. Jovic will have a role to play even if he has to play second fiddle to Benzema, who is enjoying the season of his life.

There is quite clearly a talented player in Jovic. He took the Bundesliga and the Europa League by storm last season, earning a reputation for himself as one of Europe’s best young strikers. There’s a reason Real Madrid paid around £60 million for him. It can take some players a while to get used to the environment at the Santiago Bernabeu (just ask Luka Modric). Real Madrid mustn’t write him off just yet when he still has so much to offer them.

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It’s ironic for a team that treated a large part of last season, in essence, as pre-season that their actual pre-season, when it finally arrived, hasn’t exactly gone to plan. Indeed, while these games, usually played in farflung corners of the globe, are generally meaningless, Real Madrid have been given something to think about.

First, there was a heavy defeat to Bayern Munich. Then there was a dreadful first half performance against Arsenal when only the second half introduction of Gareth Bale helped to turn things around. And finally, there was the humiliation at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid, shipping no fewer than seven goals including five in the first half alone.

In all three games Zinedine Zidane has cut a concerned figure on the touchline. The former midfielder was lured back to the Santiago Bernabeu a few months ago in the belief that he was the only man who could figure things out. Now, with the start of the 2019/20 season just weeks away Zidane seems as baffled as ever.

Close to £300 million has been spent on new signings, with Eden Hazard, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo and Luka Jovic added to the squad. Those new additions have struggled to find their feet in pre-season, but the struggles of Jovic have been so severe they have raised questions about his place at Real Madrid.

Jovic enjoyed a hugely successful season last term, leading Eintracht Frankfurt to the semi finals of the Europa League. He is considered one of the brightest young strikers in the European game, but it’s difficult to see where he fits into Zidane’s side.

So far this pre-season he has come on as a second half substitute (against Bayern Munich) and been subbed off twice (against Arsenal and Atletico Madrid), picking up a knock. Jovic has failed to show that he can play alongside Karim Benzema in a front two, where can he be accommodated?

With Marco Asensio expected to miss the majority of the 2019/20 season with an ACL injury, the front three picked for the friendly against Atleti – Hazard, Benzema and Vinicius Junior – is predicted to be Zidane’s favoured attack. Behind that, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric with room for another midfield signing (possibly Paul Pogba or Christian Eriksen).

Zidane also has Lucas Vazquez and Isco to choose from. Mariano Diaz continues to hang around the Santiago Bernabeu too. And there’s Gareth Bale. It’s possible that despite spending in excess of £50 million Jovic will join the ranks of players on the fringes of the Real Madrid first team. Nothing we have seen early on in his career at the club suggests otherwise.

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