One of the toughest decisions for a club to make will revolve around the future of ageing players who have been outstanding over a long period of time.
You can’t just chuck them aside as that looks horrific from a PR point of view, but being sentimental and handing out another contract can hurt the team and the fans will be left with a poor memory of a great player.
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It’s probably better to let them go just before their form falls off a cliff, with fans feeling they could’ve had just a little bit more. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what Real Madrid do with Marcelo.
The Brazilian full back has shown clear signs of slowing down in recent months, his pace is gone and injuries have started to take their toll.
Marca recently reported on some comments from the Real Madrid stalwart, and it’s clear he has no desire to leave just now:
“I don’t want to leave and I don’t think Real Madrid will sell me. I have done very well at Madrid since arriving. It’s been a long time and it’s an incredible story.”
“I do think it’s good that other teams are interested in me, but I don’t know about Juventus. Two years ago I had already signed with them [Juventus], and had their shirt on because I couldn’t live without Cristiano Ronaldo. People make up a lot of things.”
The problem for him is this might not be his choice, but the club would need to sign a suitable replacement to allow this to happen. Ferland Mendy hasn’t impressed that much, so that means Marcelo might get at least one more season at the Bernabeu.