Real Madrid teenage defensive prospect on Alvaro Arbeloa’s radar | OneFootball

Alvaro Arbeloa’s arrival as Real Madrid’s first-team manager has well and truly opened the floodgates for La Fabrica talents to finally begin dreaming of opportunities in the first-team after a long.

Thiago Pitarch, after impressing in his few call-ups, has been promoted to the first-team and it is clear that he is just the first of many as Arbeloa begins to see his gambles pay off.

As relayed by AS, Jesus Fortea is now beginning to knock on the doors of the first team and is well placed to be the next one.

Known to the manager

As confirmed by the Spanish outlet, Arbeloa is one of Fortea’s biggest supporters and is keeping a close eye on the young right-back. He is well and truly on the first-team radar now, and his season appears at the right point to take off.

The season has not been an easy one for for the young defender so far, ironically dipping after he represented Spain’s U20 outfit in the FIFA U20 World Cup as a starter.

Jesus Fortea is a player that Arbeloa knows well. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Upon returning, he found himself placed below David Jimenez on the manager’s pecking order and subsequently suffered an injury, allowing his competitor to move further ahead.

Now, however, he has slowly but surely grown in prominence and level and has recently done phenomenally for the Castilla in back-to-back games against Lugo and Zamora.

Having won the starting spot back from Jimenez in the Castilla team, he is back on the first-team radar and could have some important call-ups.

After all, with Dani Carvajal seriously considering leaving the club at the end of the season, they will need a new young defender to serve as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s deputy and Fortea can fill that role.