Luka Jovic, Real MadridGetty

Zidane: Everything will change when Jovic finally scores

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has thrown his support behind Luka Jovic after the striker coming up short yet again as Los Blancos eased past Real Zaragoza with a 4-0 victory in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening.

Jovic started the cup match at the head of attack, with Karim Benzema having to settle for a spot on the bench, but the latter replaced the Serbian in the second half and subsequently bagged a fourth for the visiting side, with Raphael Varane, Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Jr. also finding the net.

The 22-year-old has scored once before since joining the Santiago Bernabeu outfit from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, an injury-time header in October's 5-0 thrashing of Leganes, but Zidane believes his next strike will see the floodgates open.

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“I'd like him to score, but he'll get there if he keeps working,” the French boss said after the Zaragoza clash. “He's young, he's just arrived and the good thing is that he's in a team where there are a lot of big players and he has to adapt.

“The delicate moment will be good for him – when he finally scores, everything will change.”

One player who hasn't struggled for form this season is midfielder Toni Kroos, who notched a further two assists for the Spanish capital side at Estadio de la Romareda.

And while Zidane admitted he was happy to see the German performing well yet again, he was quick to point out that football is a team sport, and added that his fringe players have been impressing him of late as the club rotates to cope with a busy fixture schedule.

“I'm happy for him,” the head coach said of the World Cup winner. “Toni is an example and he's very good, but we have to highlight the work of the whole team.

“In the end, it's important for a coach to see a complete performance from everyone. We can change players and, in the end, everyone does well.”

Next up for Zidane's side is a highly-anticipated Madrid derby at the Bernabeu on Saturday, with the Liga leaders currently sitting 10 points ahead of their city rivals in the Spanish top tier.

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