Odegaard proving he is Modric's readymade Real Madrid successor

Real Madrid may sit level on points with league leaders Barcelona at the top of LaLiga, but this season feels like another of transition for Los Blancos. Core players Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric are all now the wrong side of 30 and while Zinedine Zidane has masterminded the Madrid powerhouse towards the summit of Spain's top tier, you get the impression another summer revamp is on the cards. 

That said, in the likes of Luka Jovic and Ferland Mendy, Real Madrid at least have youthful cover for their ageing stars, while Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo are two of the hottest Brazilian talents plying their trade on the continent, which should excite supporters with the wings covered for the foreseeable future. 

Replacing Modric, though, could have been easier said than done. The Croat was named LaLiga's worst signing in 2012 on the back of his arrival from Tottenham. Fast-forward to the present day and it was only this week that Modric passed his Ballon d'Or torch to Lionel Messi having inspired Croatia to a World Cup semi-final spot 18 months ago. 

The metronomic midfielder is the heartbeat of this Real Madrid side and it will be a sad when the time comes for the 34-year-old to step aside as the club ushers in a new era. That said, Real Madrid already have his long-term successor on the books, even if he isn't currently playing for the club. 

In 2015, Real Madrid secured the services of Martin Odegaard from Stromsgodset. The youngster had trained with the first teams at Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City before moving to Spain in January. It would be the first time Odegaard would play under Zidane, who at the time was Real Madrid Castilla head coach. At the end of that season he would become the youngest debutant in the club's history when he replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in an eventual 7-3 win over Getafe. 

However, it was clear that regular game time away from Madrid would benefit Odegaard more than playing with Castilla and this began a stint in the Netherlands where the Norwegian would ply his trade for Heerenveen and then Vitesse. He impressed at the former, but took his game to the next level with the latter. 

Odegaard finished the season with nine goals, 12 assists, 10 WhoScored man of the match awards and a WhoScored rating of 7.80 and was, without doubt, one of the stars of the Eredivisie campaign. Back in Spain, he has begun to show he can handle the pressure of LaLiga as he continues to shine for Real Sociedad. While an audition against parent club Real Madrid failed to yield a goal or assist in a 3-1 defeat at the Bernabeu, Odegaard was on hand to return a perfect WhoScored 10 rating, becoming the second player to achieve the feat after a certain Lionel Messi in a LaLiga match this season. 

That man of the match performance contributed to an average WhoScored rating of 7.53, that the third best in LaLiga this season and second highest of those aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues this season. Three goals and four assists is a commendable return for a Real Sociedad side that sits fifth in Spain's top tier and has netted 26 league goals this term. 

As a player to link the midfield and attack, he's undoubtedly living up to expectations with his ball carrying qualities rising to the fore time and time again. 2.6 successful dribbles per 90 is a fine return for Odegaard and an increase of Modric's 1.5 successful dribbles per 90. The former is also outperforming the latter for key passes per 90 (2.8 to 2.6). However, Modric is performing better for tackles per 90 (1.5) than Odegaard (1.2), but that is largely because the latter has greater freedom to push on, thus lessening his defensive responsibilities, than the former. 

And yet, Odegaard is more than willing to press opponents high up the pitch in search of the ball. He has won possession in the attacking third more times (16) than any other player in LaLiga this season and this high pressing approach will undoubtedly go down well with Real Madrid fans when he does return to the Bernabeu in six or 18 months' time. This is likely to be due to the set up in the Basque country, however, with Odegaard afforded greater defensive protection when he does push forward courtesy of Mikel Merino, Igor Zubeldia and, when he does feature, Asier Illarramendi, thus easing the defensive burden on Odegaard. 

Modric, but default, has to do more defensive work in order for Real Madrid not to get overrun in midfield and leave the battling Casemiro with too much to do in the middle of the park. The Brazilian is unlikely to be dogged down in the defensive duties owing to both his style of play and Real Madrid's relative dominance over LaLiga's smaller sides, but a helping hand from Modric and co. is always welcome. Odegaard has proven how effective a midfield man he can be in a side that isn't as dominant as Real Madrid, so the transition from Real Sociedad to Los Blancos should, in theory at least, be a smooth one. 

Having threatened to go the same route as Freddy Adu, Odegaard may have disappeared from the forefront of people's minds, but the Norway international is tearing up LaLiga and Real Madrid fans are excited at the prospect of his return to Madrid as Modric's heir apparent.