The Real Madrid dressing room have been left frustrated by boss Carlo Ancelotti, owing to his ongoing treatment of goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
This comes after the Italian, once more, made clear that Lunin will soon be relegated to bench duties.
The Ukrainian international has been afforded a rare run of starts of late, after Thibaut Courtois and Kepa Arrizabalaga were forced into respective spells on the sidelines.
And Lunin, for his part, has impressed, conceding just a solitary goal, as well as keeping out a penalty, across three appearances.
In turn, it came as something of a surprise when, over the weekend, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed his intention to reinstate Kepa as his no.1 at the earliest opportunity.
“Lunin has been ready but Kepa will be back for Granada and if he’s okay he will play,“ the Italian explained.
And, if the latest word stemming from the media is anything to go by, then such comments appear to have rubbed certain members of the dressing room in Madrid the wrong way.
As per a report from Relevo, several Blancos players considered their manager’s statement ‘inappropriate’, particularly owing to its timing – fresh off Lunin’s latest clean sheet.
This comes amid long-standing frustration surrounding Ancelotti’s treatment of the 24-year-old, considered a consummate professional by his teammates.
Should the former remain in the hotseat at the Santiago Bernabéu beyond next summer, it therefore looks likely that Lunin will be on the move, sooner rather than later.
Conor Laird | GSFN