It all started so well for Endrick - how could it not? The Brazilian was subject to immense hype before he even arrived at Santiago Bernabeu. There was the big transfer fee and adulation for Cristiano Ronaldo. There were the highlight reels that stuffed social media feeds and the video of Jude Bellingham calling him a "superstar". Cue the Real Madrid hype train.
Fast forward to the present day, and things are radically different. Through four months of the season, Endrick has played a meagre 170 minutes for Los Blancos. He is yet to start a game. Even with the club suffering from injury issues all across the front line, head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been reluctant to give the Brazilian a proper run-out.
Instead, this is a player feeding off scraps, a €60 million signing left to watch from the bench, or make the most of sparing minutes at the ends of games. Rhythm, experience and confidence are all so vital for a player of Endrick's age - especially with the pressure of a big club on his back. And perhaps it's time for the easy solution; an Endrick loan, something that was teased in the summer, has never made more sense.