Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender close to returning from injury, but will miss El Clasico
According to reports from MARCA, Real Madrid’s Ferland Mendy is close to returning to action after spending close to a month on the sidelines. He will not return in time for the Merengues‘ clash against Barcelona on Thursday but could feature as early as the weekend.
The Frenchman went off injured in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinal of the Copa Del Rey late in January.
Consequently, he was forced to sit on the sidelines for the team’s next nine games including the Club World Cup, the Champions League clash at Anfield and the league game against Atletico Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti was forced to dive deep into his resources to compensate for the left-back’s absence given that the manager does not have a like-for-like replacement in the department.
Initially, it was Eduardo Camavinga who took over duties as a surprise candidate. The midfielder did well to fill the void but was slowly phased out by David Alaba who has past experience playing at left-back.
Most recently, it was Nacho Fernandez who played in the position against Los Rojiblancos given the Austrian’s absence through injury.
Mendy’s imminent return, needless to say, comes as a massive boost for Ancelotti who will finally have his first-choice left-back back under his command. However, the manager must still look towards Nacho for the upcoming Clasico at least.
The 27-year-old has played 17 league games for Real Madrid this season and has provided one assist in the process. Further, he averages close to seven defensive actions per game and has overseen two clean sheets.
Mendy has come under pressure this season for his declining contributions in the final third. Once back in action later in the month, the Frenchman will look to overturn that school of thought with his performances.
Arda Guler’s Real Madrid stint has not gotten off to the start he would have hoped to have given the expectation that preceded the transfer.
Having joined in the summer after Real Madrid outbid their competition to win him over from Fenerbahce for a 20-million-euro fee, buzz was high as the winger was expected to slot into the team quite seamlessly, albeit on a rotational basis.
Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, he has been constantly marred by injuries since completing the move.
Reports have stated that after Guler picked up his third injury since his move, Real Madrid have been concerned and want to take things slow with the player to ensure he is fit as soon as possible after an injury to his quadriceps this time.
The Turk is yet to make his competitive debut for the club, and Real Madrid even sacked their medical chief in November, in light of their injury crises since the beginning of the season.
No loan deal for Guler
However, according to Fabrizio Romano in a recent YouTube video, he states that Madrid maintain full trust and patience in the youngster.
Despite his bad luck with injuries, the latest of which he is scheduled to return from after Christmas, the Galacticos have no intention of loaning out Guler to Turkish clubs despite lots of speculation of them doing so of late.
Romano states that Madrid remain firm on not shaking things up too much with the squad, and they want to keep their roster stable, including Arda Guler.
They want to extend their full support and protection to the player as he aims to return to full fitness and finally make his bow for Madrid either by the end of this month or in 2024.
