Used by his coach but put up for sale by his managers, Mendy created a diplomatic incident at Real.
Real Madrid have looked increasingly solid in recent weeks, with four clean sheets in their last six meetings, and some might say it’s no surprise that an in-form Ferland Mendy has started five of these matches. The French defender’s chronic fitness problems mean that this is the first time since last season that he has played a series of matches on a regular basis.
Carlo Ancelotti trusted him to replace Fran Garcia since Eduardo Camavinga’s injury. Mendy showed his usual reliability in defense, although he was not as effective on the ball. However, it seems that he has the coach’s confidence again. Nevertheless, Relevo claims that Real Madrid are still trying to sell Mendy, and will do so again in January. The only firm interest they have had so far is from Saudi Arabia, but Mendy was not too keen on the move.
These fitness concerns are one of the main reasons why Real Madrid are looking to sell Mendy, in addition to their pursuit of Alphonso Davies. This year he missed 7 games, while last year a series of different issues kept him sidelined for 23 games, almost half the season.
Mendy, when fit, is generally quite reliable. While Fran Garcia offers much more in attack, the development of Dani Carvajal as a more attacking option this season has allowed Ancelotti to use Mendy as a counterweight. It remains to be seen whether this continues with Carvajal’s absence for the coming month, but the loss of Mendy in January could hurt the team’s chances of winning trophies.
