Carlo Ancelotti sees 29-year-old star as emergency central defensive option | OneFootball

With the winter transfer market just over a month away, it is unclear if Real Madrid will turn towards a new signing in defence especially after the injury of Eder Militao.

The Brazilian star will not feature again this season after suffering an ACL blow, while David Alaba’s recovery is still not complete even a year after his ACL injury.

The resultant situation sees the manager with only Antonio Rudiger as a natural and fit centre-back option. Yet, the club appear stubborn in not reinforcing the position in January.

The Mendy option

As relayed in a recent update by AS, Ancelotti currently sees the Aurelien Tchouameni-Rudiger combination to be the best bet for the team and will begin utilising that option once the Frenchman is back from injury.

Ferland Mendy could play as a centre-back if needed. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Raul Asencio, meanwhile, is the best-placed first-choice backup and will cover the central defence even for the coming games alongside the German star.

The report also furthers that Ancelotti sees Ferland Mendy as his next-best central defensive option should the situation ever demand it. In fact, he is even ahead of Jesus Vallejo, a natural centre-back, on the pecking order.

If there are no new signings in January, the French full-back will thus serve as the coach’s wildcard to play in central defence as an emergency solution.

Notably, Mendy has played as centre-back for Real Madrid only twice, both of which happened in 2021 under Zinedine Zidane. If he plays centrally, Fran Garcia will cover the left-back position.

So far this season, the 29-year-old has made nine appearances for Real Madrid and has overseen two clean sheets in that duration. Further, he averages over five defensive actions per game.