Real Madrid: 3 players who must step up with Marcelo out for the season

Real Madrid left back Marcelo will miss the final four games of the 2019-2020 La Liga season.

It has been a tough season for Real Madrid on the injury front, but with a four-point lead heading into Friday night’s home game against Deportivo Alaves, they should be able to slog their way to a championship title under Zinedine Zidane despite the challenges they’ve faced.

The latest significant injury is to experienced left back Marcelo. Real Madrid have officially announced that Marcelo has a left adductor injury, with Managing Madrid writing that the 32-year-old will be done for the remainder of the season.

Marcelo isn’t a full-time starter due to new signing Ferland Mendy’s emergence as one of the best left backs in world football, but he has played significant minutes, especially since La Liga’s return during a condensed schedule.

And he’s played well, too, adding a lot of talent to the attack. After all, Los Blancos would have dropped points to Athletic Bilbao last weekend if it weren’t for Marcelo drawing the decisive penalty.

Hopefully he can heal up fully and be ready for the 2020-2021 season. Until then, here are three players who must step up to the plate with Marcelo out, as his injury hurts their precarious fullback depth.