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What's wrong with Marco Asensio? Real Madrid ace still struggling to replace Ronaldo

The Portuguese superstar's departure paved the way for the Spain international to become regular starter at the Bernabeu but he has failed to step up

At 22, the best years of Marco Asensio’s career lie ahead of him, but the Real Madrid forward should know that they won’t just unfold in front of him like an ascending red carpet.

The Spaniard has to take each step forward himself, but this season it seems like Asensio has been struck in the mud or even walking backwards.

As Madrid laboured to a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, Asensio didn’t take control of the game and even though Los Blancos ended up prevailing thanks to Karim Benzema's solitary strike, their stale attacking could have cost them the three points.