"Achraf Hakimi staying at Borussia Dortmund in 2019/20" - Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane
Achraf Hakimi will not be recalled early from his two-year loan at Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has confirmed.
Hakimi, 20, made 28 appearances in all competitions in his first season at Dortmund and there had been speculation that parent club Real were interested in bringing the Morocco international defender back to the Santiago Bernabeu before his temporary BVB deal expires in summer 2020.
Zidane, however, has no such plans and believes his young charge's development is best served in the Bundesliga with Dortmund.
"Achraf will spend another year in Dortmund," Zidane said prior to Real's 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.
"He's a good player - we all know that - but it's good for him to stay there and get another year of match practice behind him."
Hakimi turned out 17 times for Real under Zidane in 2017/18, but found his path to regular first-team action blocked by former Bayer Leverkusen right-back Dani Carvajal and Brazil left-back Marcelo.
After joining Dortmund, he had to wait until Matchday 5 of the 2018/19 Bundesliga campaign to make his first appearance for his new club, but went on to miss just two games until he fractured a metatarsal in March.
Operating on the right- and left-hand side of the Dortmund defence, Hakimi produced two goals and four assists in 21 Bundesliga outings as the Black-Yellows finished runners-up behind Bayern.
He also started five of Dortmund's eight UEFA Champions League assignments, famously serving up a hat-trick of assists in the group-stage win over Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.
Watch: Achraf Hakimi won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month award for November 2018
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Hakimi is currently on an extended break following his international exertions with Morocco at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Dortmund No.5 started every game at left-back on his country's run to the last 16, where they were beaten by Benin on penalties, and was named in the AFCON Team of the Group Stage.
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