Carlo Ancelotti has now completed his first week of pre-season back at Real Madrid. The Italian coach has only had 13 first-teamers to work with, and according to Diario AS has a number of decisions to make on five of them.
Andriy Lunin is one. The main question around him is whether Ancelotti will give him the Copa del Rey or not, like he did with Keylor Navas in 2014/15, or put him on the market.
Alvaro Odriozola doesn’t plan on leaving Madrid anytime soon, but at a salary of €3.5m per year needs to contribute more than he did last season. He’s not gained prominence under Zinedine Zidane, so it’s up to Ancelotti whether he sees him as having the chops to make it in the first-team.
Martin Odegaard is a famous case. The Norwegian is just back from a loan spell at Arsenal, and is heavily backed by the club as the future of Madrid’s midfield. Ancelotti will have to give him the game-time he needs or risk having him force another move.
Isco played perhaps the best football of his career under Ancelotti in his first spell at the club, and has returned for pre-season in top shape. He has one year left on his contract, so will be hoping for a good season to give himself options next summer and avoid being sold to a lesser outfit for cash this window.
Luka Jovic’s situation depends on Kylian Mbappe. If the Frenchman makes his long-heralded arrival, he’ll become the reference of the attack alongside Benzema and Eden Hazard, with Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo the spare bullets. If Mbappe doesn’t make the move to Madrid this summer, Jovic and Mariano Diaz will most likely stay and be Benzema’s reserves.
