Mariano's numbers make his isolation under Zidane incomprehensible

Mariano Diaz scored with his first touches of the ball during Sunday night's Clasico to wrap up a precious win for Real Madrid over Barcelona, but it is not just due to netting in 52 seconds that should cause Zinedine Zidane to rethink his sparse use of the striker.

Not only were they his first 52 seconds of the match, but his first taste of action of any kind in LaLiga Santander all campaign, such has been the extent of the former Lyon man's isolation.

Mariano has turned down numerous offers from clubs around Europe over the course of the last year due to his persistence in succeeding at Real Madrid.

His eagerness to score for Los Blancos has been demonstrated not only in El Clasico but throughout his time under Zidane, particularly his knack of finding the net in limited time.

Across Zidane's two spells in charge of Real Madrid, the Frenchman's most effective forward is Mariano, statistically speaking.

Mariano has the best 'minutes-per-goal' ratio of anyone under Zidane for Real Madrid, with eight goals scored in 551 minutes, which equates to one every 69 minutes.

The Spanish-Dominican forward scored five goals in 303 minutes in Zidane's first spell and so far has three in 248 minutes in his second.

In comparison, during the same period of time, Gareth Bale has played 1,633 minutes and has scored four times, only one more than Mariano, at the rate of a goal every 408 minutes.

His goal in the Clasico could be the catalyst for more chances in the first team, and he has the numbers to justify more opportunities than most attackers in the current squad.