Carlo Ancelotti will have to think outside the box at right-back after Real Madrid learned the
a complicated circumstance surrounding captain Dani Carvajal’s knee injury.
Carvajal was substituted in the match against Villarreal as Real Madrid won 2-0, and it was after the assessment of the 32-year-old that the Spanish and European champions realized their worst fears.
The club’s statement read: “The tests undertaken by the Real Madrid Medical Services on our player Dani Caravajal reveal the absence of a ligament or a fracture around the knee, a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament, a rupture of the external collateral ligament, and a rupture of the popliteus tendon of the right leg. He will have to be operated on in the coming days.”
In this scenario, such severe injuries rule out Carvajal until the very end of this season, and his addition to the depleted resources of Ancelotti’s defensive line is no use.
With Carvajal joining David Alaba on a prolonged list of absentees courtesy of injuries, the Italian can now only count on six senior defenders. Why Ancelotti still suggested a scouting mission of the January window, not the summer one, is simply understandable – the La Liga title, the 16th UEFA Champions League campaign, and following winter’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup are lined up this year. But what would he do at that time?
Who will replace Dani Carvajal for Real Madrid?
Lucas Vazquez
A winger by trade, Vazquez has been successfully redeployed over recent seasons as right-back cover. The pre-season arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick and Arda Guler’s emergence already meant Vazquez’s days of getting a shot in the front three were all but over. At least for now, he will be Ancelotti’s first choice.
Federico Valverde
Ancelotti’s remodeling of his post-Toni Kroos midfield has had some teething problems, most notably during last week’s 1-0 UEFA Champions League defeat at Lille. Valverde might yet be a vital part of that solution. Still, the Uruguay international’s boundless energy and versatility make him a viable alternative on the left-hand side of the defense.
Jesus Vallejo
Vallejo has the simplest performed 10 minutes in La Liga, considering his mortgage return from Granada. He is below midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in the pecking order in his expert role of middle-lower back. Nevertheless, those are trying out instances on Santiago Bernabeu and Vallejo, who have played at proper back several instances in their careers. He might be the best match in favorable conditions as an extra herbal defender than Vazquez and Valverde.
