Real Madrid lose Mendy at pivotal point of the season
The French left-back is starting to have a considerable history of injuries, has barely played in 2023 which has prompted Madrid to recover Fran García...
The left side is once again a worry for Ancelotti. The Italian coach was confident that he would have Férland Mendy ready for the crucial Champions League quarter final tie against Chelsea but yesterday, he received some bad news: the French full-back is injured again. The club announced yesterday that he is suffering from an injury to his left calf muscle. It means that he will miss the double header against the Londoners and should Madrid advance to the semi-finals, he would also sit out the first leg (9 or 10 May)...
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Mendy’s 2023 has so far been hampered by ongoing fitness problems. He suffered an injury to his left thigh muscle just before the Club World Cup (on 31 January) which meant he has played a total of just seven games this year - three in the league, two in the Copa del Rey and two in the Spanish Super Cup. He featured in the starting line-up in four of those games (against Villarreal - in LaLiga and the Copa, Athletic Club and Atlético).
Poor numbers for Ancelotti’s theoretical first-choice left-back and a player with a specific weight in the coach’s plans due to his great defensive strength. What’s more, the preparation of the squad last summer left him as the only natural left-back, with several alternatives as a rotating emergency solution (Alaba, also out injured, Nacho, Rüdiger and the most surprising of all, Camavinga). So what was originally viewed as temporary, makeshift solutions ended up becoming permanent because Mendy has not offered any consistency.
And that is in spite of the efforts by coaching staff, the doctor and technician, who pampered Mendy to the fullest. During the pre-season, he was even designated his own, personalised training regime - different the rest of the group. And during the final stretch of last season he was rested for two league games so that he could play the second leg of the semi-final against City and then the final in Paris.
Whenever Mendy has been out injured, staff have tried to be extremely careful when setting a date for his return as to not rush him back but not even that has not been able to prevent this latest injury - and his fragility worries the club. This is the eighth muscle injury in three and a half years (he was also sidelined twice with trauma injuries). He hit a new low point after suffering a tibial stress problem that kept him out for exactly four months between May and June 2021.
The situation - a player who is constantly alternating between top level competition and the casualty room is a concern for Madrid - it’s not something they expect of a player who is only 27 years old and under contract until 2025.
Madrid decide to recover Fran García
Mendy’s chain of injuries, something that he has suffered practically since he arrived (his first absence for to a muscular problem occurred three weeks after his signing), has pushed Madrid to look for a quick fix. One of the solutions has been to ensure they have a solid left-back for next season - a player who can do a job similar to that of Lucas Vázquez on the other wing.
Madrid decided to recover Fran García, who will return to the club in July. It seems a logical move to bring back a player who came up through Madrid’s youth teams, is young (23) and reasonably priced. Madrid, who retained 50 percent of the defender’s rights when he was transferred to Rayo Vallecano last summer, cost just €5million.
In addition to Fran García, Madrid also have another ‘executable’ option should they opt to expand their left-back options even more - the club still holds 50% of Miguel Gutiérrez’s rights and could also recover him from Girona, who he joined for €5million in August 2022.