LALIGA
Real Madrid’s Arda Güler plan: when will he make his debut for the LaLiga giants?
The Turk has recovered from knee and thigh injuries but may have to wait to play his first game for Los Blancos.
There has been some good news for Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti this week, with both David Alaba and Arda Güler able to take part in full training following their recent injuries. The Austrian defender is expected to be available to face Sevilla on Saturday, although the young Turk may have to bide his time a little longer to finally be able to make his debut for the club.
Güler has “officially” recovered from a thigh problem and could, if need be, make the squad for the match this coming weekend, although it seems unlikely. Even if he ultimately does, there is little chance of him getting any game time. When the teenager has proved that he is completely over his physical problems once and for all, Madrid have a special program in place to get him into peak condition in time for November, which they hope will allow him to show why they spent an initial €20 million ($21 million), plus €10 million ($10.5 million) in add-ons, to secure his services from Fenerbahçe last summer.
Güler bulking up with special training regime
The 18-year-old has had a tough start to his time in Spain. He cut short his summer vacation to start working under Ancelotti as early as possible, with the Italian manager quick to be mesmerised by his talent. “He can do incredible things”, he told his assistants during Güler’s first few days with the club in July.
The Madrid coach staff, however, felt he could do with some physical conditioning work to get him ready to compete against the very best in Europe. A special training regime, similar to the one followed by Rodrygo after arriving from Santos, was devised for him to bulk up without having a negative impact on his technical skills.
Why has the teenager not played for Real Madrid yet?
Despite that, Ancelotti had hoped to use Güler in some capacity from the start of the season, either in midfield or in one of the attacking positions (he normally played on the right wing for Fenerbahçe, with licence to drift inside). The Turk went on Los Blancos’ pre-season tour of the United States but was unable to play in any of their four games after injuring his knee.
Medical tests revealed he had torn his meniscus and that a conservative course of treatment would be best for his recovery. However, a lack of improvement meant he eventually underwent surgery to remove pieces of his meniscus. Güler was expected to recover quickly from the minor operation and was all set to be included in the Real Madrid squad for the home game against Las Palmas on 27 September.
In his pre-match conference, Ancelotti confirmed the youngster would be involved, hours before the Turkey international suffered a new injury to his thigh, keeping him out for a further three weeks. Although Güler has shown a tendency to be somewhat injury-prone during his short career (he has missed 29 matches because of fitness issues since making his professional debut in August 2021), he also appears to recover quickly.
Los Blancos to ease Güler into the first team
In any case, Los Merengues aren’t prepared to take any more risks with him and will ease him into first-team action. Güler will now undergo a personal mini-preseason of sorts, doing both individual and group work in training to ensure he is up to speed with the rest of his teammates as quickly as possible.
The teenager’s potential return to action comes at a difficult time fixture-wise, which may see Madrid act with extra caution. Ancelotti’s side face three consecutive away matches, which includes tough trips to Sevilla (21 October) and Barcelona (28 October) either side of a Champions League game against Braga (24 October).
When is Güler like to make his first Real Madrid appearance?
Güler could play some part in those matches, although it appears highly unlikely, as things stand. A more realistic proposition is for him to make his debut in November, which Los Blancos will begin with three home matches against Rayo Vallecano (5 November), Braga (8 November) and Valencia (11-November) before the final international break of the year.
Ancelotti hopes to have Güler at 100%for those games, with the work the Turk does on the training ground between now and then crucial to ensuring he is finally ready to make his Real Madrid debut.