Alonso surprised by Real Madrid defender’s match sharpness after lengthy layoff | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s win over Olympiacos midweek saw Ferland Mendy make his first appearance for the club in over six months as he finally made his return from a seemingly never-ending injury spell.

The Frenchman was solid at the back and surprisingly sharp for a player who has not played in long, taking many in the Real Madrid management and administration by surprise.

As relayed by Defensa Central in a recent report, the message Mendy sends to the dressing room is one that suggests that he will not force his way into the lineup and will contribute whatever is asked of him by the manager.

The veteran defender understands his role and is willing to cooperate completely.

A tricky situation

While Alonso is surprised and pleased with Mendy’s form after a long time out, the fact of the matter remains that he prefers Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras at left-back for their attacking potential.

However, he does not discount Mendy, given the long season ahead and the Frenchman’s solid defensive profile.

Mendy impressed on his first appearance in seven months. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

The manager, thus, will look to effectively manage the minutes of the player to ensure he is used when his profile is required, especially if he can keep up the same match sharpness.

For Real Madrid, their bigger concern now revolves around the future of the left-back situation and how they must approach the next transfer window. After all, they know that a sale is a must but they do not have much under their control.

Mendy, needless to say, would be the preferred candidate to leave even though they have renewed his contract, although it has not been officially announced yet. His long-term injury, however, has brought down his market value to a point where he does not have many suitors.

The coming months, thus, will not only be important for any potential shifts in the left-back pecking order but also for deciding which player should leave.

From Real Madrid’s perspective, the best option would be to hope for Mendy’s market value to rise again before the summer.