Antonio Blanco: Things to know about the talented youngster

Real Madrid's supposedly 'underwhelming' campaign doesn't look so bad now there's a genuine chance of them securing the double, does it?

Zinedine Zidane's side are well in the La Liga title race and have a Champions League semi-final with Chelsea to look forward to, though with injuries beginning to mount the Frenchman's managerial nous is being truly tested.

Zidane has been forced to shoehorn players into positions as he looks to plug gaps in his side, while a number of youngsters have been thrown into the deep end in Real's time of need.

Defender Victor Chust was handed his Real debut earlier this year, with Antonio Blanco the latest debutant after he was brought on as a second-half substitute in the draw with Getafe recently.

The Spaniard made his full debut in the win over Cadiz the following game, but just who is the latest youngster off the Real production line? 90min have provided you with a rundown of everything you need to know about the midfielder...

1. Billed as a mix of Casemiro and Toni Kroos

First up is the question most people want to know when a hot prospect emerges into the first team; what type of player is he?

Blanco is a deep-lying playmaker who has the ability to break up play and launch attacks.

The youngster has been described as a mix of Real midfield pairing Casemiro and Toni Kroos, so absolutely no pressure on the young lad to turn into a superstar.

2. He's got an eye for the spectacular

As someone who likes to sit at the base of the midfield, Blanco rarely gets the opportunity to add to his goal involvement tally.

But when he does score, wow does he make sure they're memorable.

The Spaniard notched this ridiculous goal from his own half while playing for the Real Madrid youth side back in 2018, taking just one step to clear the ball from under his feet before executing a perfectly-weighted shot over the goalkeeper.

The strike was a mix of vision and sound technical ability, summing up a lot of Blanco's best qualities as a midfielder.

3. Included in The Guardian's 'Next Generation' in 2017

The Guardian's 'Next Generation' list is an annual rundown of some of the best youngsters across the world.

Of course the list is far from 100% accurate when looking to pinpoint stars of the future, though it's a pretty decent gauge of players who have the ability to get to the very top.

Blanco was included in the 2017 edition of the list alongside Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior, Alphonso Davies, Jadon Sancho and some lad called Erling Haaland.

4. A regular in the Spanish youth set-up

Blanco has been a regular member of the Spanish youth teams since making his debut for the Under-17 side in 2016.

The Real Madrid man made 20 appearances for the Under-17s and tasted tournament success as he was part of the triumphant Spain side at the European Under-17 Championship in 2017.

In the same year he came within 90 minutes of being crowned a world champion at Under-17 level, though Spain were beaten 5-2 in the final by England.

In 2018 he moved up to the Under-19 squad where he's won 13 caps to date, and he enjoyed further success in 2019 as Spain were crowned European Under-19 Championship winners in 2019.

5. Named in team of the tournament at Under-19 Euro 2019

Being part of the Spanish youth squads is all well and good, but don't be fooled into thinking he's just there to make up the numbers.

Blanco was named in the Team of the Tournament as Spain triumphed at the Under-19 Euros in 2019, joined in the 11 by Manchester City pairing Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia.

In fairness, Spain absolutely dominated the competition and six of the 11 players in the Team of the Tournament were from La Rojita, but it's still impressive.

6. Zinedine Zidane is a big fan

Having been handed his full debut for Real at just 20 years of age, it probably won't come as much of a surprise that Zidane is a big fan of Blanco.

The Frenchman is said to have been monitoring his progress in the youth setup for some time now, and he didn't let his manager down on his full debut against Cadiz, spraying long diagonals around the pitch and adding energy to the midfield.