The saying goes that “when it rains, it pours,” and Real Madrid is a perfect example of this. Bad luck is plaguing the white team, which, in addition to failing to win the Champions League and Copa del Rey titles, is now fighting for the difficult challenge of winning LaLiga with a defense plagued by injuries and very few alternatives for Carlo Ancelotti.
In the last few hours, Rüdiger, Alaba, and Mendy have all gone down and undergone surgery. The German center back had been playing with severe pain in his knee for seven months. He now hopes that the surgery will solve the problem, although he will miss the remaining domestic matches on the calendar. In principle, he should be fit for the Club World Cup, but we will have to see in what condition he is.
On the other hand, his teammate Alaba has suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. He underwent surgery and the operation was a success, so the recovery time remains the same: 6-8 weeks out. The club is confident that he will be fit for the Club World Cup.
However, Mendy’s case is more complex. The left-back has suffered a tear of the proximal tendon of the rectus femoris in his right quadriceps. He has also undergone surgery and is expected to be out for between 10 and 12 weeks. He will not be available for the Club World Cup.
Beyond the injury, the problem with the left-back has been dragging on all season. Ferland Mendy’s constant injuries, as well as the lack of confidence in Fran García, have complicated life for Carlo Ancelotti, who in important matches has opted for Camavinga, who is now also injured and will not make it to the World Cup.
With this scenario, Real Madrid will have no choice but to turn to the youth academy for the final stretch of the league and the Club World Cup. Several players from Castilla are already training with the first team, and the option for left-back will be Youssef Enríquez Lekhedim, commonly known as Yusi.
This is Yusi
Yusi, Raúl’s left-back at Real Madrid Castilla, is one of the most promising players in the Whites’ youth academy. Ancelotti already knows him, having counted on him in Qatar during the Intercontinental Cup in December. In addition, he has been called up for two first-team matches in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Yusi, born in Madrid in October 2005, joined the Real Madrid youth academy in 2017 to play for the Infantil B team. Since then, his career at Madrid has been meteoric. With Raúl at Real Madrid Castilla, he has played in all but one of the Primera RFEF matches and has played more than 2,600 minutes, scoring one goal and providing four assists.
The Moroccan’s good form has caught the attention of his country’s national team, as well as other teams in European leagues. In light of this interest, the Whites renewed the player’s contract last December until 2028.