Would Julen Lopetegui still be in a job if Real Madrid had retained the services of Cristiano Ronaldo?
It's impossible to say but the sacked coach's father, Juan Antonio, had a point when he accused the club of gross negligence in failing to adequately replace the Portuguese after his summer switch to Juventus.
"[Real] are missing a prominent goalscorer," Lopetegui senior fumed. "They haven't bought one, not a single one!
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“There was talk of Neymar and others, but no one came. They stole 50 goals from my son!"
That may have been a slight exaggeration but Ronaldo's storming start to his Serie A career, coupled with Real's struggles to score goals, show just how badly his loss is being felt at the Santiago Bernabeu.