Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender set to miss all three games against Barcelona due to injury – report
Real Madrid have suffered a difficult campaign this season owing to their long injury list. The men in white have been without Aurelien Tchouameni, Daniel Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez and David Alaba for a long time, and the injury list only gets bigger.
As revealed by the Madrid, Ferland Mendy is the latest entrant into the injured list. The French full-back has been diagnosed with an injury to his left semimembranosus muscle and will miss a significant part of the upcoming campaign.
COPE suggests that the early prognosis expects him to sit on the sidelines for at least two months.
This comes as a massive blow to Carlo Ancelotti who has already been without a natural right-back for over two weeks now. Just when it seemed like the crisis in defence was past him, he finds himself in another dilemma.
Real Madrid play Barcelona three times in the next two months, twice in the Copa del Rey and once in La Liga. As it stands, the Frenchman is set to miss all three Clasicos, the two-legged tie against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League and a Madrid Derby.
Ancelotti’s best bet will now be to field David Alaba as the left-back for the coming few months, as the squad lack another backup left-back. Nacho could also be an option if Daniel Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez return to the team in time from their own injuries.
Fran Garcia would have been a perfect solution to Los Blancos’ problems, but La Liga regulations make it impossible for Real Madrid to engineer his return before the summer.
Despite the heavy criticism furled at him, Mendy has been defensively solid for Real Madrid this campaign. In 14 La Liga games, he has overseen two clean sheets and averages over seven defensive actions per game.
Before he was hired by Bayern Munich as the direct replacement for Julian Nagelsmann, Thomas Tuchel was closely linked with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
The German tactician had kept a close eye on the development at Santiago Bernabeu, especially with coach Carlo Ancelotti facing immense pressure following the club’s poor performances in domestic competitions.
A recent report from Jorge Picon has offered more details on the Tuchel saga, suggesting that the coach was even learning Spanish during his time at Ibiza, anticipating a potential move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.
There were even contacts made between Tuchel’s entourage and Real Madrid. Although the talks were positive, the two sides were not able to reach an agreement.
Real Madrid did not guarantee him the job. They had informed Tuchel that Ancelotti may continue at the Bernabeu in the event the club win the UEFA Champions League this season.
This bit of uncertainty played a critical role in convincing Tuchel to join Bayern Munich instead. The former Chelsea boss was hired as a direct replacement for Nagelsmann, who was sacked after a poor season in the Bundesliga by the club’s high standards.
However, Tuchel’s move to Bayern appears to be a missed opportunity on the German’s part, as Real Madrid have recently intensified their search for a new manager.
It is clear that the club’s hierarchy is yet to reach a consensus over the future of Ancelotti, with some believing that a change is necessary come the end of the season. In fact, the club’s president Florentino Perez has been an admirer of Tuchel’s compatriot Nagelsmann.
The coaching prodigy is one of the candidates to replace Ancelotti in the summer, though it is Mauricio Pochettion who is reportedly leading the race so far.
