Real Madrid manager Ancelotti gives Bale, Hazard hope for the future

On Wednesday, newly-appointed Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti faced the press for the first time since his return to the Spanish capital. The Italian did not hold back about giving his opinion on players that he knows very well, including Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Marcelo and Isco.

It may be remembered that Ancelotti served as Real Madrid manager in 2013-15, and has worked with many of the old guard who are still in the club's dressing room. Gareth Bale has since dropped out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu since his years with Ancelotti, but he is set to return to Madrid this summer after a loan spell in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.

Interestingly, Ancelotti's arrival in Madrid may be a very good thing for the Welshman, who still has positive things to say about his former ward. "Gareth has not played much, but he has scored a lot of goals. I know him very well and he is coming back. If he has the motivation to play, he can have a [good] season, I have no doubts," said Ancelotti.

Another player who has struggled in the past few seasons with Real Madrid is Eden Hazard. The Belgian was not yet around when Ancelotti was in charge, and he has been plagued with injuries since joining the club. However, he managed to get back into action on a limited basis in the tail end of the last season. Hazard has since apologised to former manager Zinedine Zidane for not having been able to contribute as much as was expected of him, but he is still determined to make a mark as a new-generation Galactico.

"[Hazard] is a player who has not fulfilled his full potential but is going to fulfil it. It may be his year to exploit it, with confidence," said Ancelotti, making it clear that he has high hopes for Hazard.

Meanwhile, the Italian also stressed that other players such as Marcelo and Isco need to continue working hard on the field to show him that they still have the motivation to play for Real Madrid. The two players have slowly fallen into the shadows as of late, but they may yet be revived with Ancelotti at the helm.

As for Sergio Ramos, Ancelotti said that he has yet to talk to the club at length about the captain's contract. He did not make any indication about whether or not he wants the Spaniard to stay. However, he made it clear that he wants to calmly evaluate the roster and make decisions on how they can best attack the summer transfer window in order to be ready for the 2021/22 season.