Arda Guler is still just 18 years of age, so it’s no wonder that Turkish media were so interested and intrigued by his move from Fenerbahce to Real Madrid at the start of the current season.
The ‘golden boy’ of Turkish football had earned himself a dream move that has quickly turned into a nightmare.
To put into perspective just how bad it’s been, so far this season Guler has played just nine minutes in La Liga against Las Palmas at the back end of January according to WhoScored.
The only other match that Guler has seen any action in was against Arandina in the Copa del Rey where he managed 59 minutes.
His campaign has been hit by injuries at the wrong time, meaning that Carlo Ancelotti has rarely been able to pick the youngster.
Even when he has, Guler hasn’t really been given the chance to impress.
Now Turkish journalist, Muhammet Duman, from Spor Arena, speaking to Relevo, has made an outlandish claim as to why his countryman has struggled.
“I’m sure it was because of the training in Madrid,” he was quoted as saying.
“Training in Europe is much more demanding and better than in Turkey.”
Even though it’s believed Los Blancos think that Guler is good enough to be a long-term addition to the first-team squad, there remains the question as to why they’re not playing him now when it’s clear that he is available and ready to play.