Real Madrid News
Real Madrid trio to miss the next three games vs Villarreal, Athletic and Real Sociedad
According to MARCA, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba are set to miss Real Madrid’s upcoming Copa del Rey clash against Villarreal as well as the subsequent La Liga matches versus Athletic Club and Real Madrid. The pair will be joined by Lucas Vazquez on the list of absentees for those matches.
Tchouameni and Alaba picked up muscular injuries just before Real Madrid’s trip to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup. The club had confirmed the nature of their injuries and had left them behind in Madrid, but had not given a specific timeframe for their recoveries.
And now, it is being reported that they will be unable to recover in time for the upcoming matches against Villarreal, Athletic, and Real Sociedad.
It does come as a blow for Real Madrid, who are under pressure to turn things around after the Spanish Super Cup final hammering against Barcelona.
Without Tchouameni screening the defence, the Merengues have not looked solid enough and Alaba’s replacement, Antonio Rudiger, has been uncharacteristically poor in recent games as well.
As for Vazquez, the right-back picked up a serious injury during Los Blancos’ Super Cup semi-final clash against Valencia, following which he had to be substituted.
The initial prognosis suggested that the Spaniard will be out for six weeks, potentially ruling him out of the next month’s UEFA Champions League encounter versus Liverpool.
So, obviously, he will miss any matches between now and then, including the upcoming games against Villarreal, Athletic Club, and Real Sociedad.
His absence, coupled with the concerns over the performances of Dani Carvajal, could open up a pathway for youngster Vinicius Tobias to get a look-in into the first-team setup.
Carlo Ancelotti has been reluctant to hand opportunities to youngsters performing well for the Castilla team, but circumstances could force the Italian tactician to change his approach.
Real Madrid are looking towards a heavy splurge in the coming summer transfer window. After all, they do not even have another option given the sheer number of player departures already finalized.
Los Blancos have lost the services of Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, and Eden Hazard over the past week. While three of the four players predominantly featured on the bench, their presence in the squad gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side much-needed depth and a cushion of sorts.
The forward unit is, thus, the most prioritized department ahead of the transfer window. However, pieces are beginning to fall apart on other fronts and could potentially put the club in a difficult situation.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus are eyeing Lucas Vazquez and hope to sign him in the coming month. Contacts between the two parties have begun and the transfer fee discussed appears to be around the €6 million to €8 million ballpark given that he has just one year left on his contract.
The player, for his part, is willing to sign for the Italian giants given his relative lack of minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu. At 31 years of age, he understandably does not want to play a second-fiddle role.
Vasquez played part in 23 of Real Madrid’s 38 La Liga games last season, starting only on 12 occasions. Even in his few appearances, he averaged a mere 50 minutes per game.
The veteran completed the season with four goals and an assist to his name. Further, he averaged five defensive actions and a key pass in every game and feels hard done by his limited role.
Vazquez’s departure would place the club in a tricky situation as it would leave Real Madrid with only Dani Carvajal as a natural right-back option. Nacho Fernandez could, in theory, serve as the backup but a new signing for the position cannot be ruled out.
