Lucas Silva hopes to revitalise his Real Madrid career when he returns to the Santiago Bernabeu from his two-year loan spell with Cruzeiro.
Silva was heralded as "the future of the club" by Carlo Ancelotti when he was signed by Madrid in 2015 as a 22-year-old but, now aged 26, his chances of making it in the Spanish capital look slim.
The Brazilian has been seemingly forgotten at Madrid but he can take solace in the fact that it is not an impossible task to become a key player at the club after a loan spell away.
Fellow countryman Casemiro was loaned out to Porto as a 22-year-old and is now a key player at the Santiago Bernabeu and Silva hopes to emulate the midfielder's rise to the top, believing that he still has a chance at Madrid.
"When I arrived I trained well, started to play and even started in the Champions League, played well and we won," Silva told Marca
"I am motivated and want to play at a high level and win titles. Without a doubt, I think I have the option of returning to Madrid again."
The midfielder believes his loan spell has been beneficial to his career and regular gametime has turned him into a more consistent player
"I left Europe thinking about resuming my career and having more consistency and rhythm in matches. I didn't achieve it in my first season, but last year was very good because I played regularly and I was winning titles. It was a very good year. The most important thing is that I'm back playing at a high level."
Silva had great relationships with his Brazilian compatriots at Madrid, with Casemiro, in particular, being a close friend. With the arrivals of Vinicius and Rodrygo at Madrid it may help Silva settle in a way he could not when he first arrived.
"After being loaned out I kept in touch with some [players] like Marcelo, Danilo and Casemiro. I was closest to him [Casemiro]. It's normal that contact is lost as time moves on but whenever there's a special occasion we speak."
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