Five players Real Madrid can use at right-back with Carvajal and Trent injured | OneFootball

If Real Madrid’s 5-2 humbling to Atletico Madrid was not damaging enough, the men in white have been dealt yet another blow as captain and star defender Dani Carvajal has been ruled out of action for four weeks.

The player picked up the blow in the game at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano and the injury has been diagnosed to be to his soleus muscle, placing him out of action for close to a month.

Given that Trent Alexander-Arnold himself is injured and unavailable until November as it stands, Los Blancos are reduced to zero depth at right-back as Lucas Vazquez is no longer at the club to cover in the department like last season.

At such a challenging juncture, Xabi Alonso must look to mobilise existing resources from alternate positions to fill the void, and here are five options he can consider.

Raul Asencio

Raul Asencio’s form in recent months has been a matter of concern, especially after his poor run at the FIFA Club World Cup. With the manager pressed for resources, he could once again become a prominent option for Alonso.

With Trent out, Asencio could be an option at RB. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

As a defender, Asencio is adept at the trade required to fill in at right-back and his pace also enables him to track pacey wingers.

Moreover, he is solid with his tackles and has already shown that he has what it takes to play in the position as he even played at right-back in the latter stages in the derby.

Federico Valverde

Federico Valverde was one of Carlo Ancelotti’s preferred stand-ins at right-back last season, especially for the big games where Lucas Vázquez was considered a liability.

With Jude Bellingham returning to full fitness and likely to be a regular starter in midfield, pushing Valverde to right-back would make tactical sense as one midfielder would naturally have to be sacrificed.

Given his pace and prowess with ground duels, he is a strong candidate. However, the player had previously expressed his reluctance to play in the role.

Alvaro Carreras

Alvaro Carreras has been one of Real Madrid’s star signings of the summer and has adapted wonderfully to life in the Spanish capital. He is Xabi Alonso’s preferred left-back and has been solid in defence and dynamic in attack, barring the derby defeat.

Alonso trusts Carreras. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Given his understanding of the game as a full-back coupled with his pace, making him feature at right-back might be an option worth exploring.

After all, he already showed his versatility by playing at centre-back against Levante, and with Fran Garcia available to cover left-back, shifting Carreras would not be difficult.

Eder Militao

The Brazilian has featured at right-back several times in his career and is no stranger to playing out wide on the right side of defence.

His roots playing as a right-back stem back to even before he signed for Real Madrid and he has also played in the position for Los Blancos, last in the 2022-23 season. In fact, he even played for Brazil as a right-back in the last FIFA World Cup.

Placing Militao out wide and bringing in a new face at centre-back, thus, cannot be ruled out.

David Alaba

As a veteran of the squad who has played as a full-back for a long part of his career, Alaba could be an interesting option for Alonso to count on.

After all, there is currently no place in the manager’s plans for Alaba to see regular minutes this season and this could well be his chance to shine and get into the thick of things.