Real Madrid: Fabio Coentrao denies reports that he has gone AWOL

Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao is still in fact still playing football after he posted a picture via Twitter of himself training. Here’s what happened.

Fabio Coentrao today broke his silence after rumours suggested that he had gone AWOL from Real Madrid.

Diario AS today reported that the 30-year-old had not been seen at the club’s Valdebebas training base for over two months after his loan spell at Sporting CP finished with a defeat to Aves in the Taca de Portugal final in May.

He has made only 43 La Liga starts for the European champions since signing from SL Benfica in 2011 for €30 million.

He failed to make Portugal’s 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia this summer and remained silent on social media for two months, even after he used his private yacht to save 15 stranded fisherman off the Portuguese coast last month.

However, he took to Twitter today in an attempt to prove his dedication to Los Blancos and disprove reports that he had gone missing.

The pictures show that there is truth in the news that he is training away from his teammates in the Spanish capital, with Julen Lopetegui deeming him surplus to requirements.

Indeed, he may truly believe that he has a part to play for Los Blancos this season – Theo Hernandez and Achraf Hakimi’s loan switches to Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund mean that he is second-choice left-back by default.

A move away is perhaps more likely – clubs in Europe’s major leagues, apart from in Italy and the Premier League, have until August 31 to make any kind of move.

In England, clubs in the second tier and below can still make loan signings until next Friday. Nottingham Forest, who are managed by former Real player Aitor Karanka, is a possible destination – Portuguese trio Joao Carvalho, Diogo Goncalves and Gil Dias have already moved to the City Ground this summer, with Coentrao’s agent, Jorge Mendes, involved.

Should Real cut their losses and pay to release Coentrao, Wolves are another likely destination. The club’s owners, Fosun International, is business partners with Mendes and saw a move for Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko fall through during the Premier League’s deadline day.

Any club looking to secure Coentrao’s services must be willing to pay him hefty wages – he, reportedly, currently earns around £80,000 a week.

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