Jude Bellingham’s dismal run of form is worrying Real Madrid’s board, and Zinedine Zidane is being touted as a potential firefighter.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been miles off the pace this term. Trailing La Liga title-fighting rivals Barcelona – who felled them 4-0 in El Clasico last month – by nine points thanks to a series of lacklustre draws, Los Blancos’ big guns simply haven’t been firing.

The introduction of Kylian Mbappe to a potent forward line of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, as well as the deeper Bellingham, hasn’t worked. They are adrift in the Champions League, too, sitting in 18th overall, with two losses already to their name.

The Englishman, who has been injured for large parts of this campaign, has now come under criticism. He’s yet to find the back of the net and looks lost in Ancelotti’s altered system. The Spanish outfit’s board has supposedly become worried about the 21-year-old’s performances – and blame lies on his Italian coach.

Madrid-based outlet Relevo writes: “Bellingham’s situation worries the board. Unrecognisable, frustrated, inaccurate. He has been one of Ancelotti’s experiments’ biggest victims; sometimes on the right, other times on the left, and now without presence in the area where he was so decisive last season.”

Bellingham was arguably his side’s talisman last term. His 19 league goals were crucial to their winning the league title by a decisive 10 points, and four European strikes aided their run to a record-breaking 15th Champions League triumph. Yet, with Mbappe shoehorned into the starting XI, Bellingham, hampered by injury, has become blunted.

“I think Jude surprised everyone last season when he started, and now, he’s doing really well,” Ancelotti stated, speaking earlier this summer. “He’s really mature and takes more responsibility in the squad. He’s a really important player for us. As he did last season, he’ll do the same this season.

“I think so,” Ancelotti replied, asking if Bellingham had room for improvement. “He has a lot of quality, really mature, really strong character. He’s a really important player in the squad, not only for what he did on the pitch but also the environment is really important for his personality.”

Yet, there has been little improvement. Bellingham and his peers remain sub-par, and Ancelotti is taking the blame. Calls for his axing have begun to resonate, and, according to ED, club legend Zidane is the prime candidate to take over.

Last managing the Spanish side in 2021, Zidane has claimed a trio of European titles and a pair of La Liga successes at the Bernabeu and, currently without a job, remains the ideal replacement should Ancelotti be shown the exit door.

The Frenchman has been coy in the past as to whether he would be open to a return, but, speaking to L’Equipe in 2022, he made it quite clear that reunion couldn’t be ruled out

“When I was a player, I could choose almost every club,” Zidane stated: “As a coach, there aren’t 50 clubs I can go to. There are two or three possibilities. If I go back to a club, it’s to win. I say this in all modesty. That’s why I can’t go anywhere. For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. Which ones? The language, for example. Certain conditions make things more difficult.

“When people say to me: ‘Do you want to go to Manchester [United]?’ I understand English but I don’t fully master it. I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently.”

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