Carlo Ancelotti leaves Real Madrid quartet out of second Brazil squad | OneFootball

Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has decided against calling up any of his former players at the Santiago Bernabeu in just his second squad. Los Blancos have three players that Ancelotti could have called on, but has decided against using any of them.

The Italian manager impressed the local media with his attempts at Portuguese as he announced his squad, having only been in the role for a little under three months. Brazil will face Chile and Bolivia in September, before his spell in charge can get underway in earnest, having been flown in at the last minute before the South American World Cup qualifiers in June.

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes left out of squad

Ancelotti would have been without Endrick Felipe at any rate through injury, but has decided to leave out Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior and Eder Militao. In the latter case, Militao has only just made his comeback from a long-term ACL injury, and it is thought he could benefit from the rest. Meanwhile Vinicius would have been suspended for the first game, and Ancelotti has decided it was not necessary to call on him for a singular game. Rodrygo by all accounts is a performance-related decision.

Only one La Liga player in Brazil squad

In a relative rarity, only one La Liga player has been included in the Brazil squad, that being Barcelona vice-captain Raphinha. Previous candidates, Antony and Samuel Lino have both left La Liga this summer, while the majority of the squad operate in Brazil, Ligue 1 and the Premier League.

Image via Sport

Raphinha has had a leadership role with Brazil over the last year coinciding with his rise at Barcelona, and taking on the famed number 10 shirt for the Selecao. He is arguably the star attraction in Ancelotti’s side, although new Chelsea signing Willian Estevao will also garner plenty of attention.