Marco Asensio admits he cannot imagine a Real Madrid without Cristiano Ronaldo and believes the Portugal superstar still has a big part to play at Santiago Bernabeu.

Not for the first time, Ronaldo’s future in Spain is the subject of intense speculation following comments the 33-year-old made in the wake of last month’s Champions League final victory over Liverpool.

Ronaldo admitted immediately after the 3-1 win in Kiev that he could not guarantee he would still be at Madrid next season and that he would soon give an update on his future.

There has been little to report on that situation since but Asensio hopes the club’s all-time record goalscorer will still be a team-mate of his next term.

The Spain international told Marca: “I can’t imagine playing without him. Cristiano has been, is and will be very important for us and Madrid and he must always go hand in hand.”

As well as Ronaldo, the Madrid future of Gareth Bale is also uncertain, while the club are also looking for a new coach following Zinedine Zidane’s shock decision to step down after winning a third successive Champions League.

Asensio, 22, said of the Frenchman: “What Zidane did took us all a little by surprise, but my experience with him has been very good.

“He showed a lot of confidence in me and we had a good relationship. From the start I was very clear about things, I knew what was coming and I worked hard to get these opportunities. He gave me them.”

Provided by Press Association Sport