Mariano Diaz made the headlines this summer when he sensationally returned to Real Madrid.Los Blancos were linked with a series of lucrative signings after losing Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was Mariano who would inherit the number seven jersey for the 2018-19 campaign.It was a major display of trust from then manager Julen Lopetegui and the the 25-year-old made an impressive start by scoring a screamer against AS Roma.However, opportunities in the first-team have been few and far between ever since, with Mariano being unable to profit from all the upheaval at the club.Even a swap in manager hasn't presented much change and Mariano currently finds himself on just one goal in 10 appearances.
Real Madrid 6-1 Melilla
That certainly isn't the form you'd expect from a Real Madrid forward and his tally pales in comparison to Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, despite both players struggling too.
That considered, it's important for Mariano to take every opportunity that he gets and one came in mid-week with the visit of Melilla in the Copa del Rey.
Having won the first leg 4-0, Real Madrid had the opportunity to score another hatful at the Bernabeu and they dually did so with a 6-1 victory to boot.
Reaction to Mariano on Twitter
However, despite such a goal rush, there wasn't a single assist or goal for Mariano.
Marco Asensio and Isco both bagged themselves brace with Vincius Jr and Javi Sanchez also scoring, but Mariano missed a most of chances to bag a goal of his own.
Naturally, Real Madrid fans were becoming incredibly frustrated with his display on Twitter and many decided that the Dominican is unworthy of the coveted number seven jersey.
Plenty of supporters felt very strongly about the topic - and you can check out the reaction below:
And just to make things worse, Mariano had to leave the pitch in the closing moments having picked up an apparent thigh injury.
It was, all in all, a bitter disappointing performance for Mariano and raises serious questions about his future at Real Madrid.
There's plenty of reason to suggest the club will execute major changes in the summer and Mariano's place could be under threat.
Given the performances of Real's forwards this season, Florentino Perez might have to change his mind and look for a marquee signing.
No-one will ever replace Ronaldo but supporters feel it can get a lot better than Mariano.
The 25-year-old certainly has talent, yet there's plenty of reasons to think a Real Madrid return and the number seven jersey all came too soon.
Do you think Mariano has a future at Real Madrid? Have your say in the comments section below.