Real Madrid’s options at centre-back as injury concerns mount | OneFootball

Eder Militao’s injury early in the season sent the alarm bells ringing at Real Madrid. The offices at Valdebebas knew that the Brazilian star’s ACL rupture would rule him out for the entire season, leaving Carlo Ancelotti with few options at the back.

Yet, they chose not to sign a new centre-back and cited that they would make the move if the defence suffered another injury. After the events that unfolded at Santiago Bernabeu earlier this week, Real Madrid could well be regretting that decision.

Both David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger suffered injuries in the game against Las Palmas. The former appears to have injured his abductor muscle and will undergo an MRI to solidify the diagnosis. In either case, he will be out for a while.

Rudiger, meanwhile, likely injured his knee. Initial tests rule out anything severe, but it remains to be seen if he can face Girona tomorrow.

Carlo Ancelotti’s solutions

According to a report from AS, Nacho Fernandez is the manager’s first choice to replace the injured Alaba in the lineup.

The captain renewed his deal with Real Madrid hoping for more prominence, and his gamble appears to have paid off.

However, Ancelotti’s list of direct replacements ends with the Spanish international. Any further setbacks will force him to look at players from other departments to fill in.

Ferland Mendy is a prime choice on that front. The Frenchman has played in central defence before under Zinedine Zidane, albeit in a back line of three, and has the characteristics required to fill the void.

Aurelien Tchouameni is another player who could serve as a backup centre-back. However, his speed would serve as a limiting factor for his incorporation.

Options in the academy

As revealed earlier this season, Carlo Ancelotti has his eyes on a few of the Castilla defenders as able backups.

One name that stands out is that of Marvel. Real Madrid see the youngster to be one with great potential and have already called him up to train with the first team many times this season.

Though the Italian tactician is not particularly known for being a fan of academy players, one can expect Marvel to be called up to the squad for the coming games.