Since last August 2023, Real Madrid have not had a quiet time in defense. At that time, a year and a half ago now, in a match against Athletic Club in San Mamés, Militao ruptured his cruciate ligament for the first time. And since then, the Whites’ defense has suffered a series of catastrophic misfortunes.
That same December, Alaba was the next to suffer the same injury. And almost a year later, with little more than two months to go before the Austrian was due to return to the group, Militao again ruptured the cruciate ligament in the other leg. A hell which, as everyone knows, has led Carlo Ancelotti to have to perform a real juggling act to put together his starting defence.
Ancelotti, with almost all his players available for the first time
For a year and a half Antonio Rüdiger has been the bastion of Real Madrid’s central defense. A bastion alongside which Raúl Asencio has been rotating, who has broken down the first team’s door through injuries, and Aurelién Tchouaméni who has been reconverted given the team’s needs. However, this situation could be about to change.
And when the problem at the back seemed to be practically solved, short-term injuries to Alaba and Rüdiger turned everything upside down again, forcing Carlo Ancelotti to use his imagination once more to fill the centre of the defence. However, after almost three weeks, and with their presence in the second leg against Manchester City still in doubt, the return of both players is just around the corner.
This is a possibility that has not arisen at the White House for a long time, giving Ancelotti a total of four available central defenders. The most logical thing is that with the emergence of Asencio and the recovery of Alaba, whom Ancelotti has assured he will count on at key moments, Tchouaméni will return to midfield except when the team needs him at the back again.
This leaves Rüdiger, Alaba and Asensio as the three mainstays of the defense, with a total of two places for three men. What does seem certain is that one of these places belongs to Rüdiger in his own right, while the profile of the center back who will accompany him in the left-back position could rotate between Alaba and Asensio.
An eventual solution that does not avoid the need to sign new players
However, Florentino Pérez is aware that he is talking about solutions that are not sustainable over time. Especially considering that Rüdiger is 31 years old and Alaba 32, so a renewal in the center of the defense seems essential, forcing the Whites to keep an eye on the market.
What does seem certain is that, at 23 years of age, Asencio is set to be a central defender for the long term at Real Madrid. In less than 20 matches with the first team, he has demonstrated poise, versatility and experience beyond his years. However, in the long term, the Spanish central defender will need a partner to form the white lock.
One option in which the name Dean Huijsen is anticipated as one of those that will give something to talk about during the summer. The Spanish centre-back, who was once close to signing for Real Madrid, has caught the attention of several big European clubs thanks to his good performances at Bournemouth, including, of course, Real Madrid. And as we have learned thanks to Fabrizio Romano, he has a buy-out clause of 50 million euros… The name Huijsen will be heard a lot this summer in Valdebebas.