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Real Madrid starlet Marco Asensio says he plans to follow the example of fellow ex-Espanyol youngster Lucas Vazquez and persuade coach Zinedine Zidane he is an important first-team player at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Asensio joined Madrid for €3.7 million in January 2015 aged just 18 from Real Mallorca, and then impressed hugely when spending the 2015-16 season on loan at Espanyol, even making his senior Spain debut in a friendly against Bosnia last May. Returning to Madrid this summer, the Palma-born playmaker, still just 20, made an impact on Zidane during Madrid's preseason tour of the United States, in the absence of senior stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Toni Kroos, and then scored a superb long-range goal in last week's UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla. Speaking at his official presentation as a Madrid player at the Bernabeu, the attacking midfielder said that the example of Lucas Vazquez, whose hard work and determination last season saw him move ahead of bigger money signings James Rodriguez, Isco and Mateo Kovacic in Zidane's pecking order. "Lucas [Vazquez] could be an example that if you work hard and take your opportunity you can win a place in the squad," Asensio said. "I will try and work hard to get the most minutes possible. I also hope to learn a lot over the year and to take advantage of opportunity when it comes." The possibility that Asensio might spend the 2016-17 campaign out on loan again had been ended after a conversation with Zidane, the youngster said. "I spoke with the boss, who told me to be calm and work hard at training," he said. "He has always shown his confidence in me, always been very close to me, and happy with me. He wanted me to stay, I wanted to stay too, always said that, my plan was to use preseason to win a place in the squad, and that is how it has turned out. "I am here to fight for a place, I am available for him whenever he needs me. I am comfortable in any position in attack, either side or in the centre." A 25-yard strike to the top corner against Sevilla in the UEFA season curtain-raiser, and first winners medal of his career, had been a good start to his Madrid career, Asensio agreed. "I was very happy to win the Super Cup having just arrived," he said. "It was a great moment for me, especially with the goal. Now I must keep working to get playing time with the team. I'm very excited to be here and looking forward to the season. I'd like to win everything, I'm an ambitious guy." Madrid have not signed a big Galactico name this summer, but Monday saw returning former youth teamer Alvaro Morata presented at the Bernabeu, with Asensio greeted by a few thousand supporters on Tuesday lunchtime. A slight discordant note from the event was Asensio choosing ex-Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil, sold by the club three summers ago, as the player he had modelled himself on most when growing up. "I used to focus a lot in Ozil, he has a lot of quality, and a very elegant style of play," he said. "Also Isco and David Silva, they are players I like a lot." Reporters present attempted to raise the issue a possible bid by Madrid for Chelsea midfielder and former Barcelona player Cesc Fabregas, but Los Blancos' director of institutional relations, Emilio Butragueno, said it was neither the time nor the place to comment on any such speculation. "You know how we work, the day of presentation of a player, the protagonist is always the player," Butragueno said. "We do not comment on any other issue, out of respect to Marco and his family." Madrid face Stade de Rheims at the Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, in their final warm-up game ahead of Saturday's La Liga opener at Real Sociedad, with Bale and Kroos set to get their first minutes on the pitch since following their late arrival post Euro 2016.
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