Together with the most advantaged students of the litter of young people who make their way in this transitional Madrid waiting for their new galactic, Ancelotti also has a replacement unit. A combination of future bets that is expected to break with the white jersey and homegrown players that have already had a leading role in recent months.
The one who has had the most minutes at this start of the season is Miguel Gutiérrez. Despite the fact that the left-back is perhaps the position in which Ancelotti has more alternatives (Marcelo, Mendy, Alaba and Nacho can play there), the accumulation of casualties has given Miguel (20 years) the title in the last two games of League. The winger maintains a record of Castilla, in which he will alternate his presence with the first team. Identical role to that of his partner in the subsidiary Antonio Blanco (21 years old), still unprecedented this season, but last season he already played four games with the first team and even made his international debut in that bizarre friendly against Lithuania. Marvin (21 years old) and Arribas (who turns 20 on the 30th) await their moment after Zidane counted on them last season and having enjoyed minutes with Ancelotti in preseason.
Among the bets for the future, there are four players with very different perspectives. In goal, Lunin (22 years old) awaits his gift of Kings in the form of the first round of the Cup that, at that time, the whites will face. Courtois stops the rivals and the presence of the Ukrainian in the eleven. Vallejo (24) has returned, after two years on loan at Wolverhampton and Granada, as a central fourth. Ceballos (25) has also returned after two years on loan, at Arsenal, hoping to enjoy with Ancelotti the minutes he did not have with Zidane. AND Jovic (23) will have, also back from a loan (six months at Eintracht), his third chance to confirm himself as a reliable alternative to Benzema.
Loans continue to be a formula for those who have no place in the first team to add minutes and experience. Madrid has other young people with a projection ahead of them. Brahim (22 years old) is in his second season at Milan, where he has performed at an excellent level. On Wednesday he scored a goal against Liverpool at Anfield, 1-2. The Japanese Kubo (20), on loan to Mallorca, continues to add experience in his third season in Primera while the club makes room for the extra-community quota (Vinicius, Rodrygo and Militao currently occupy the three available places). Brazilian Reinier (19), on loan to Dortmund for the second year, still does not enjoy minutes …