Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has all but ruled Ferland Mendy out of a starting berth in this weekend’s Copa del Rey final.
The subject of injury woes has of course taken its place front and centre in the headlines in Spain’s capital once more over the last 24 hours.
This comes after Real Madrid were dealt a fresh double blow on the personnel front.
En route to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Getafe, Los Blancos saw both David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga forced into early departures from the action.
Midfielder Camavinga is in turn facing up to a long-term spell on the sidelines, with defender Alaba also expected to miss the Copa del Rey finale.
And if the latest comments on the part of Carlo Ancelotti are anything to go by, then another member of Real’s backline looks set to miss out against Barcelona on Saturday, too.
Drawn on his plans at left-back at La Cartuja with the options of Camavinga and Alaba now ruled out, Ancelotti admitted that Fran García is his ‘only’ choice.
This means that Ferland Mendy, despite returning to training this week, is evidently not expected to be cleared to play his part in the Copa showcase.
Conor Laird – GSFN
