Speaking exclusively to Soccer Laduma, technical advisor to the Turkish national team and ex-Kaizer Chiefs boss Muhsin Ertugral has insisted that Real Madrid wonderkid Arda Guler is ready for a major role at the UEFA European Championship, despite a lack of minutes at club level.
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During the previous off-season, Guler emerged as one of Europe's brightest rising stars following his breakout campaign with Fenerbahce in 2022/23.
Many of the continent's elite clubs were vying for his signature, but as the race for his services approached its conclusion, the ElClasico giants of Real and FC Barcelona looked the main contenders. Ultimately, it was Los Merengues who won and acquired the Ankara native's talents for €20 million (R404 million) from the Super Lig club.
The 19-year-old arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu to tremendous hype given his exploits in his native Turkey, but an injury to his meniscus, then later a muscle injury, curtailed his progression within Carlo Ancelotti's plans.
Guler did not play a single minute of football in 2023 for the record European champions. Rumours began swirling during the mid-season transfer window that the youngster had become disgruntled with his lack of playing time and that he wanted to be loaned out, but Real's Italian tactician bid his time with the playmaker and eventually gave him his first start in the third round of the Copa del Rey against Arandina.
While he did not find the back of the net or provide an assist during that encounter, he illustrated what all the fuss surrounding him was about, putting on a quality showing in a 3-1 win. His bench role would continue throughout the season, but whenever he did start, he made a meaningful impact in a team that is littered with superstar talent.
Perhaps no instance is more indicative of this than his first LALIGA start against Real Sociedad. Real were coming off an intense 3-2 ElClasico victory, which placed them in pole position to clinch the league title, and were also preparing to face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
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Resting many of his star players, Ancelotti decided to give Guler, alongside some other fringe players, the chance to start and the young Turk took the opportunity with both hands, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 win at the Reale Arena.
While he did spend the rest of the season mostly on the bench, he finished his debut campaign strong, scoring a brace on the final day of the league season against Villarreal in a 4-4 draw.
His performances for Los Blancos were enough to see him being named in Vincenzo Montella's provisional Turkey squad for the upcoming EUROs, and the anticipation is that he will be part of the final 23-man squad that will head to Germany for the showpiece.
Former Orlando Pirates boss Ertugral is currently working alongside Montella in an advisory role, and the Istanbul native believes that, despite Guler's lack of minutes at Real, he is good enough to play a big role for Ay-Yildizlilar at the EUROs.
"When you play for Real Madrid, you'll always be ready for the big stage," the 64-year-old told Soccer Laduma.
"Otherwise, he is a fantastic youngster who has all the capabilities to play on the biggest stage. In my personal opinion, you can throw you him into any big situation or any big game and he will definitely make his mark.
"However, we need to find the best way to pair the collectiveness of the team with the individualism at our disposal. Our midfield is probably one of the best in the tournament, but the midfield alone doesn't win or lose games.
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"So, it is important for the concept of a team as a whole, the individualism and the collectiveness, to be in harmony, and that is the biggest challenge currently facing the team at the moment."
