A fresh insight into the goalkeeper pecking order at Real Madrid has been forthcoming this afternoon.
The situation between the posts has of course taken its place front and centre in the headlines on the white half of the Madrid divide over the last 24 hours.
This comes after Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to take advantage of his place in the starting XI in Real’s Supercopa semi-final showdown with city rivals Atlético.
Though Los Blancos ultimately did enough to advance to the competition’s weekend showpiece, Kepa looked shaky throughout, on his way to conceding a trio of goals.
Such woes have since culminated in ensuing calls for Andriy Lunin to be restored to his starting role, as Carlo Ancelotti continues to experiment in his efforts to replace the sidelined Thibaut Courtois.
And such demands, it would appear, will not fall on deaf ears.
As per a report from Marca’s José Félix Díaz, developments in Riyadh on Wednesday only served in reinforcing Ancelotti’s stance that Lunin now stands as first-choice in his squad.
Kepa’s derby start came in a bid to afford the Spaniard some much-needed game-time following his recent spell on the sidelines.
Upon Real’s return to La Liga and the Champions League alike, though, he will take a spot on the bench, making way for no.1 Lunin.
It is added that this situation has also thrown Kepa’s future in Madrid beyond the summer up in the air, with the Santiago Bernabéu brass looking increasingly unlikely to make his arrival from Chelsea a permanent one.
Conor Laird | GSFN
