Real Madrid may give Martin Odegaard his Champions League debut next week

Real Madrid are once again deciding whether or not they will give Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard his Champions League debut.

After naming Odegaard to his Champions League squad for the knockout stages, manager Carlo Ancelotti omitted the midfielder from his 20-man squad which travelled to Germany just over two weeks ago.

Real Madrid would go on to beat Schalke 04 by a score of 2-0, leaving the La Liga club with a firm advantage heading into the second leg of the competition.

With Los Blancos in the driver’s seat, Ancelotti is once again pondering whether or not to add Odegaard to his match day squad when Schalke arrive at the Bernabeu on March 10.

If the 16-year-old prodigy were to feature for Madrid, he would become the youngest player ever in the history of the Champions League.

Chelsea defender Celestine Babayaro was 16 years and 87 days old when he played for Anderlecht against Steaua Bucharest in 1994.

Should Ancelotti elect to add Odegaard to his Champions League squad and allow the Norwegian to make an appearance, Real Madrid officials believe the media impact across the planet would be massive.

But there are those in management who feel it is still too soon for the teenager to feature with the first-team on the European stage. The fear is a negative experience could damage the progress Odegaard has made at the club to this point.

Although, according to reports in Spain, the Norway international has more than held his own during training sessions with the senior squad.

Expect a decision on Odegaard to be announced in the coming days.