The Croatia midfielder ranks among the most highly rated 21-year-olds in European football but could find first-team opportunities hard to come by to begin with in Spain
The switch caps an incredible rise. Despite his young age, Kovacic will enter his seventh season of senior football at the Santiago Bernabeu, having made his debut for Dinamo Zagreb at 16.
His first taste of silverware came early, with Dinamo winning consecutive domestic league and cup doubles in 2011 and 2012. Kovacic also sampled the Champions League as a teenager, appearing in the competition 20 times in the space of two seasons.
The youngster’s form both at home and on the European stage did not go unnoticed, with Inter spending £7.7 million to bring him to San Siro in January 2013. Handed the No.10 shirt vacated by 2010 treble-winner Wesley Sneijder, Kovacic hit the ground running, impressing his new club’s supporters with his confidence and natural ability.
A more difficult spell followed from the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign as Walter Mazzarri limited Kovacic to just 14 starts in Serie A. When the former Napoli manager was replaced in the dugout by Roberto Mancini last November, though, Kovacic was restored to the first XI and began to show his qualities once more.
Kovacic is a wonderfully inventive player, capable of pulling the strings from deep or playing incisive through-balls as an attacking midfielder. It was in the latter position where he began his career at Dinamo, but his time at Inter was marked by a versatility that saw him deployed in a variety of different roles.
“A mixture of Kaka and Clarence Seedorf” is how former Inter, Juventus and Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni described Kovacic in 2013. He does indeed provide a blend of creativity and energy in the engine room, and is capable of both picking a pass as well as getting stuck in and winning possession back for his team.
Kovacic is also an excellent dribbler whose close control and tidy footwork enable him to accelerate away from opponents with ease. Whether fielded as a No.10 or in the ‘Pirlo role’, Kovacic is at his best when picking the ball up in deeper areas and driving forward with it, committing players and opening up space for his team-mates.
However, in spite of his undoubted potential, it is difficult to see where he fits in at Madrid, at least in the short-term.
Kovacic is not yet at the level required to replace either Toni Kroos or compatriot Luka Modric in Madrid’s midfield two. The central attacking midfield role appears to be Gareth Bale’s for the upcoming campaign, while Cristiano Ronaldo is untouchable and James Rodriguez will be difficult to displace after a terrific first season at the Bernabeu.
With Isco knocking on the door, Jese returning from a long-term injury and Lucas Silva, Casemiro and Asier Illarramendi also in the squad, Madrid already have plenty of options in midfield and attack.
There is also a lingering feeling that the transfer may have come too soon for Kovacic, who is still guilty of inconsistency, particularly in terms of his end product. While it is difficult to turn down the advances of a global giant such as Madrid, many young players have stagnated on the bench after moving to big clubs when they could have been enjoying regular action elsewhere. It would be a concern if Kovacic’s development was to be stunted due to a lack of game-time.
Regardless of such worries, Madrid have clearly got themselves a gifted young player for a sizeable but not extortionate fee. Kovacic is still only 21, has plenty of time to further develop his game and will now be given the opportunity to shadow Croatia's best player.
With Madrid expected to challenge on all fronts once again, moreover, squad depth is essential and Kovacic should still enjoy a decent amount of action even if he does not immediately feature in Benitez’s favoured starting line-up.
His versatility has worked to his advantage throughout his career to date but the time may be right for Kovacic to nail himself down to a single position. Modric’s absence through injury last term robbed Madrid of a player who can knit the team together in midfield; Kovacic, while usually fielded ahead of the former Tottenham man and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic for Croatia, would be an able deputy should his countryman be forced onto the sidelines again this season.
David De Gea appears likely to return to Spain before the end of transfer window but until then Kovacic is Madrid’s marquee summer signing.
The 21-year-old certainly has the talent to be a success at the Bernabeu; all that is left is to hope he is given enough of an opportunity to prove it.
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