Going from being a regular starter to being a substitute tends to demoralise players, especially big players.

This is the story of Luka Modric, who has been a top player at Real Madrid for over a decade.

Modric was a key player last season, but the veteran midfielder is now being forced to watch the younger ones from the bench.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that the bench role has affected Modric, even though they still have a good relationship.

Ancelotti also assured that Modric will start against Union Berlin on Wednesday evening.

Ancelotti said in his press briefing: “He’s fine, I speak to him every day like I do with all the players.

“It’s a personal relationship that we have. The fact that he is not playing as much as he used to can sometimes affect him a bit. But that doesn’t affect the personal relationship, which is still fantastic and will continue to be fantastic. Having said that, he’s going to play tomorrow.”