The official season of Real Madrid has begun. The white team has already played two matches, the European Super Cup final against Eintracht Frankfurt and the first league match against Almeria. Both paid off with victory.
However, after the victories, the highlight of those two games is the spin, one that Ancelotti mentioned often during his pre-season preparation.
In the 180 official minutes Real Madrid have played this season so far, 18 players have played at least one minute. Therefore, there were five players who did not participate, each situation was different.
Lunin and Vallejo are the only two players on this list who will remain safe on the team unless something strange happens before the market closes. The Ukrainian, who will not have many minutes as a substitute goalkeeper for Courtois, has received offers during this summer market to be able to leave the club.
However, he rejected them all. The main reason for staying at the most successful club in Europe is a personal one: he has just become a father and wants to stay in town. If a great offer reached him, his departure would not be ruled out, but now it is very difficult.
For his part, Vallejo, who is currently the team’s last centre-back, convinced Ancelotti after an impressive preparatory period in the United States. He knows he won’t play every game, but with the rotations Ancelotti planned, as well as his impressive performance in America, the Spaniard plans to stay.
The situation of the other three players is different. Alvaro Odriozola is the closest to leaving. After being loaned out at Fiorentina, he arrived this summer with the intention of carving out a place for himself in the team. However, the Italian coach did not convince.
In front of him is Carvajal, Lucas Vázquez and even Vinicius Tobias in office, who has outdone him on the right. He will not have options in Madrid (he was left off the list for the European Super Cup final), so it is already on the market. Inter Milan and Nottingham Forest are potential destinations for him.
Mariano is another player that Ancelotti does not want. He never liked it, so he didn’t give him many chances either. At the moment, after the departure of Borja Mayoral, he is the second striker in the team. However, Carlito has already tested Hazard in the No. “9” striker position for the matches in which Benzema must rest. Although he will not have minutes, Mariano plans to continue in Madrid and fulfill his contract, which expires in 2023.
Marco Asensio is last on the list. The Spain international is the most famous player of all time. Last season for example, he played 42 matches in which he scored 12 goals and became the team’s third top scorer. His level is very high, but there were rumors all over the market about his possible departure.
Although Ancelotti told him during the American tour that he would count on him, he has gone zero in the two official matches Real Madrid have played so far. Surprising was the decision not to give him match minutes against Almeria, as Rodrygo was unable to participate due to a thigh injury and Valverde was expected to rest.
He had offers in the summer, as he actually saw leaving the club as an option in the face of the competition he would face, but they didn’t convince him. Now, facing this situation, he found himself in a maze. His contract expires in 2023 and he has to play to make sure he goes to the World Cup in Qatar. His situation is difficult.
Source: AS