Lucas Vazquez resurrected from his Real Madrid abyss

As the big casualty from the teamsheet at the Champions League final at the end of last season, it has taken until November for Lucas Vazquez to once again make an impact on the Real Madrid team.

Left out altogether in Cardiff, the winger has remained a substitute option in Zinedine Zidane's thoughts as the new season kicked off but finally pressed back into the starting XI against APOEL Nicosia.

Playing his part in a big rout over the Cypriots, Vazquez was subsequently handed a key role for the LaLiga encounter with Malaga and he repaid his manager's faith with another solid display.

The Galician had a helping hand in the move that won the matchwinning penalty for Madrid while also providing width and pace down the right flank, factors which have been dearly missing in that area of the pitch for Los Blancos in recent weeks.

It was against Fuenlabrada in the Copa del Rey that Vazquez got on the scoresheet and reminded Zidane that he has genuine use to the team and since then he's also shown how Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema benefit from his presence.

"I'm happy to play again and to be able to help the team," gleamed the 26-year-old on Saturday having returned to the sort of form that encouraged Rafa Benitez to give him a run in the team after a loan spell at Espanyol in 2015.