Rafael Benitez heaps praise on Real Madrid wonderkid Martin Odegaard

The Norway teenager joined Madrid earlier in the year from Stromgodset and Benitez discussed after the match what the fixture meant to Odegaard.

“He enjoyed himself, and that’d what friendlies are for. He likes to train. He is very young. We have to stay calm and give him support,” Marca quotes the Coach as saying.

“The plan was for him to play 45 minutes, but I gave him another minute so he could say a proper goodbye to his fans.”

Benitez also discussed the contribution of Gareth Bale from a tactical perspective, and the chances of there being any more movement in or out of Santiago Bernabeu before the transfer window closes.

“If we analyse Bale’s movements, in the first half he was more on the left with James Rodriguez, and the second he was more through the middle,” the trainer acknowledged.

“It’s important that players have mobility, that freedom of movement.

“The market is open until August 31 for a club like Madrid. We were missing several players here, and they will be very important.

“Fabio Coentrao? I want competition between three players at left-back. I count on all the players I have at my disposal right now.

“Next week he will start working with the team and I think within two weeks he will be available.”

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