It’s finished! Real Madrid makes a radical decision

Real only have 17-year-old right back Jesus Fortea and Castilla central defender Raul Asencio available as natural options for those positions after the international break. Following injuries to Lucas Vazquez and Eder Militao, they could well be involved for the remainder of the season as well.

That rules out Jesus Vallejo, but Ancelotti and the club have made it clear he is not being considered for a real role in the team. Asencio came on and made his debut on Saturday against Osasuna, providing an assist, while Fortea has trained with the first team in recent weeks.

Real will not recruit

Diario AS claim Los Blancos will not make a move in the January transfer market unless one of their summer targets, including Jonathan Tah, Alphonso Davies and Trent Alexander-Arnold, are available for a good price. Sergio Ramos and Aymeric Laporte have been linked with moves in January, but Florentino Perez has no plans to bring them in over the winter.

Ancelotti is in favor of reinforcements, but will toe the club’s line and not request any recruitment this season. Only new injuries could change this plan, according to their information.

David Alaba, Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni are all expected to return before the end of the year, although it is less certain in the Austrian’s case, which could make the situation a little less desperate. Ancelotti may be wondering if expectations will diminish to the same extent as his resources.